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ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


BY 


/ 


GEORGE C.’ LORIMER, D. D. 


MINISTER AT TREMONT TEMPLE 


‘*The only real theme, the deepest theme, of the world’s history and of man’s 
history, the one to which all other subjects are subordinate, is the conflict between faith 
and unbelief.’’—GorTHE 


PHILADELPHIA 
AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY 


1420 CHESTNUT STREET 


1894 


Copyright 1894 by the 
AMERICAN Baptist PUBLICATION SOCIETY 


In this book I have referred to many scholars and thinkers, and 
I have gladly acknowledged my indebtedness to them. But there 
zs one whom I have not named, and who ts not known as yet in 
the realm of authorship, towhom I owe more than to all the others, 
however famed or learned—my honored and beloved wife. She 
has offered me the benefit of her extensive reading, and she has 
continually inspired me by her wise counsel and generous enthust- 
asm. Her invaluable assistance I not only recognize, but affec- 
tionately tender to her and dedicate to her what ts already in no 


meagre degree her own. 
Os ROS Vibe 


The Temple, Boston, 1894. 


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CONTENTS 


E 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT, 


THE ARGUMENT 


THE ARGUMENT 


THE ARGUMENT 


THE ARGUMENT 


THE ARGUMENT 


THE ARGUMENT 


THE ARGUMENT 


THE ARGUMENT 


THE ARGUMENT 


III. 
FROM HISTORY, ee 


Ill. 


FROM CHRIST, 


Ly. 
FROM TESTIMONY, 


V. 
FROM MIRACLES, 


V1. 


FROM PROPHECY, 


VII. 
FROM HUMANITY, . 


VIII. 
FROM ACHIEVEMENT, 


LSS 


FROM CONCESSION, 


X. 


FROM COMPARISON, 


. 115 


eLO7 
PAK 
z “ae 
: 305 
- 375 


Als 


THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER I. 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT. 


Who learns to swim, 
Unschooled in wavy water? Who to think, 
Except by use of thinking? What aman, 
With shaping thought and hand may for himself, 
No God will for him. Human wit is slow, 
Stumbling nine times for one firm footing gained, 
But still made strong by striving, and sharp-eyed 
To find the light through darkness and distress 
By time and toil and reason’s happy guess. 

—fkobert Browning. 


N the charming villa of Count Fabbricotti, at Florence, 
recently occupied by Her Majesty of England, there 

is a remarkable picture, representing Michael Angelo 
selecting material from which to shape his immortal 
conception of Moses. The scene is laid at Carrara; 
the mountains, whose white quarries show like snow in 
a garden of verdure, forming a striking background to 
an interesting group of admirably executed figures. 
Near the front of the painting a youth bends over an 
open portfolio, and among the sketches one is disclosed 
of the Hebrew lawgiver; to the right appears the form 
of the master workman, directing attention to an 

7 


8 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


enormous block of spotless marble, while in the center 
stands, and most conspicuous of all, the famous artist 
himself. Both the pose and the countenance of Michael 
Angelo are indescribably impressive and suggestive. 
He seems to be intent on searching the flawless stone 
for the outlines, proportions, and features of the won- 
drous hero who had dared supplicate the Almighty for 
the vision of his glory, and who had been exalted to 
be the mouthpiece of the ten commandments, before 
whose moral grandeur four thousand years have 
trembled. But there is a touch of pathetic indecision 
in the noble face of the sculptor, otherwise strong and 
resolute, as though he feared his hand might lose its 
cunning before the lofty ideal born of his genius could 
be imparted to the virgin marble. 

One greater than Michael Angelo trod the obscure 
ways of Palestine two thousand years ago. A sublime 
purpose ruled in his mind and heart. The Christ had 
come to inaugurate a kingdom unlike any empire that 
had reigned in ages gone, and which was to be shaped 
out of discordant and anarchical humanity. It requires 
but a slight effort of the imagination to picture him 
with thoughtful brow, contemplating the rude and poor 
material not yet hewn from the quarries of worldliness 
and heathenism, in which and through which he should 
achieve most marvelously, and which, alas! would 
sometimes splinter bereath the stroke of his fashioning 
chisel. But, unlike the Italian artist, there is never, in 
his manner or expression, the least sign of doubt as to 
his ultimate success. And history since has proven 
that while the sculptor left his statue of Moses in an 
unfinished state,—evidence that he had conceived be- 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 9 


yond his skill to execute,—Jesus has really neither failed 
nor been discouraged ; and never shall he cease to per- 
severe until “the isles wait for his law,” and until the 
stone which Daniel saw “cut out of the mountain 
without hand,’ “the kingdom set up by the God of 
heaven,” “shall break in pieces and consume all these 
kingdoms,” and it itself, and none other, stand forever. 

The birth of a new religion, like the creation of a 
new orb, is at once the source of amazement and de- 
light. When a star, unseen before, comes out of the 
depths and passes into the telescope’s field of vision, 
the astronomer, not unnaturally, is startled and moved 
to joy. And when a faith suddenly breaks on the 
darkness of the world, and reveals truths hitherto 
hidden from. mankind, it is not unreasonable that sur- 
prise and gladness should assert themselves. Thus, 
when Christianity, which had existed in the Divine 
thought from the eternities, passed into the field of 
history some twenty centuries gone, the angels, with 
jubilant voices, caroled “ good-will” ; the shepherds were 
astonished ; and wherever the news was heard a thrill 
of blissful expectation exalted lowly people. But in 
astronomy, the star once welcomed is never repudiated. 
Its rank and orbit once determined, it is never treated 
as an illusion or a fancy. In this science has the ad- 
vantage over religion. Greeted with acclamation at the 
beginning, in a little while the new cult is exposed to 
cavil and criticism. Soon delight gives way to doubt, 
satisfaction to skepticism, confidence to controversy, 
and the very light which emanates from the celestial 
body is obscured, if not swallowed up, in the black 
night of persistent unbelief. 


10 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Thus Christianity, from the moment that it came 
into the glare of publicity, has been made the subject 
of interrogation, investigation, and of irrational in- 
credulity. Hence, while it has sought to be continually 
aggressive, and has been, it has been obliged, almost 
from the beginning of its existence, on account of this 
unfriendly scrutiny and unwarranted suspicion, to act 
unceasingly on the defensive. The assaults on its in- 
tegrity and authority have been numerous and various, 
apparently every age inventing a new one. It is not 
necessary that the history of “ Apologetics” be re- 
written, especially in these pages, where we are more 
anxious to study their general features as they are in 
the present than as they were in the past. The slight- 
est possible allusion to their earlier forms will suffice 
for the purposes of this discussion. During the second 
century Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Tertullian, and 
Minucius Felix defended Christianity from the charges 
brought against it by Jews and Pagans, which in the 
main were accusations against its moral conceptions 
and practices. The two following centuries produced 
the arguments of Origen, Arnobius, Lactantius, Euse- 
bius, Cyril, and Augustine, which in turn and respect- 
ively vindicated the truth from wide-sweeping misap- 
prehensions and misrepresentations, proving it to be 
philosophical and reasonable, self-evidencing and su- 
perior to all former theologies, and wondrously adapted 
to promote the temporal well-being of the common- 
wealth. After the times of Porphyry, Celsus, and 
Julian, opposition to the church diminished in virulence 
and intellectual vigor. Little was produced in the way 
of infidel literature worthy of notice during the Middle 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT ik 


Ages, and nothing that was not fully answered by 
Abelard and Thomas Aquinas. With the end of that 
period, and with the revival of learning toward the 
close of the fifteenth century, came the revival of un- 
belief. Classical students, charmed and even bewildered 
by the treasures of knowledge derived from pagan 
sources, took the name of Humanists and opposed the 
doctrinal interpretation of the Bible, and prepared the 
way for the pantheism of Spinoza in the seventeenth 
century, the deism of Herbert in the eighteenth, and the 
“Literature and Dogma” of Arnold in the nineteenth. 
A hundred and fifty years ago the deistical school was 
at its height, but it could not withstand the force of 
Bishop Berkeley’s “ Alciphron,” Locke’s “ Reasonable- 
ness of Christianity,’ and Bishop Butler’s unanswered 
and unanswerable “ Analogy”; and hence it was sup- 
planted by the modern school of rationalism, introduced 
by Lessing’s “ Wolfenbiittel Fragments,” and developed 
into critical rationalism by Eichhorn and Paulus. 

It is this last movement, though with specific differ- 
ences, that is dominant in our times; or, perhaps, it 
would be more accurate to say that the spirit of ration- 
alism has survived in a chameleon-like body, and is to- 
day active, arrogant, and aggressive. The “Tractatus”’ 
of Spinoza has been revived in the “Literature and 
Dogma” of Matthew Arnold, in which the Bible is 
treated as a book divine, or almost divine, but without 
any definite message. Renan’s “Life of Jesus” has 
been evolved from the “Emile” of Rousseau, with its 
tribute to the moral greatness of Christ; and this gen- 
eration is being taught to sympathize in the confession 
of the “Vicar of Savoy”’: “I, for one, have never been 


12 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


able to believe that God ordained me to be learned. I 
have, therefore, shut all the books. There is one only 
open to the eyes of all—the Book of Nature.”  Fer- 
dinand Christian Baur has reappeared in Otto Pfleiderer ; 
and Semler, Lessing, and Wilhelm Vatke have been 
more than resuscitated in the persons of Weizsacker, 
Keim, Robertson Smith, and some others known among 
us as the higher critics. The so-called scientific school 
of infidelity is not so potent now as it was some twenty- 
five yearsago. We hear but little of Professor Tyndall 
and of the celebrated “ prayer-gauge” in these latter 
days. Indeed, the entire opposition to Christianity, 
from the physicist’s point of view, has practically come 
toanend. Speculative and literary rationalism occupies 
almost the whole field, and the aim of present polemics 
is to disprove the possibility of revealed religion by dis- 
crediting the supernatural; and to invalidate the alleged 
fact of a revealed religion by impairing the trustworthi- 
ness of the sacred documents in which the history of 
its origin is recorded. This particular mode of warfare 
is being carried on within the church as well as without. 
In this respect it differs from all previous tactics, and 
if Christianity succumbs and loses her authority, it will 
be due to the rationalistic critics within her own borders. 
Liberality is the keynote of the campaign. Time was 
when all religions were dealt with on the assumption 
that they were equally false and fraudulent; but now 
the disposition is to regard them as equally true, though 
of varying degrees of merit. We have reached the 
drawing-room stage in the history of Apologetics. 
Evening dress and gloves are now in order. Polite- 
ness and compliments are more in demand than facts 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 13 


or arguments. We are assured by Comte that the only 
religion is the religion of humanity, which, so far as we 
can understand him, means a religion without a revela- 
tion, and even without a God, as he would make man 
at once the worshiper and the object worshiped. The 
evolutionists, with Herbert Spencer as their prophet, 
declare that the Author of all things is unknowable ; 
that supernaturalism is merely superstition; and that 
Christianity has been evolved by a natural process from 
earlier cults, and is leading to a faith higher than itself. 
But these opponents, and others with them, critics, 
scientists, antiquarians, and the rest, are exceedingly 
gracious, and would not for the world be supposed to 
entertain feelings really hostile to Christianity. Not 
at all. They are eloquent in encomiums on the moral 
majesty of Christ, and on the many advantages that 
have come to society through his precepts; but, then 
there are Buddha, and Zoroaster, and “The Sacred 
Books of the East”; and to insist that Christ’s religion 
is exclusively and ideally the true religion, alone satis- 
fying the needs of man, and alone endowed with su- 
preme authority, is regarded as altogether too narrow 
and too shallow for it to be tolerable to the modern 
spirit. Like the executioner, to adopt a comparison 
suggested by an Englishman, who bowed before Charles 
I., kissed his hand and begged pardon for undertaking 
the unpleasant business in which he was engaged, but 
nevertheless beheaded him just the same, so now, on 
the close of the nineteenth century, infidelity, wearing 
a mask and uttering courtly words, is sharpening the 
axe, and will not be slow to cut off the head of Chris- 


tianity when the auspicious moment arrives, 
B 


I4 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Dr. Dollinger spoke of the advancing pressure of 
unbelief “as the festering wounds which are causing 
every community to languish.” I am not quite sure 
but that he overestimates the strength of the present 
endeavor to impeach the cause of Christ. But whether 
he does or not, the position is serious enough for the 
lovers of God’s truth to speak out. The danger of the 
hour is that indifference, or rather apathy, may betray 
the most sacred interests of humanity. Some one has 
said, “England has so fed upon the pap of compromise 
as to be unable any longer to conceive a muscular reso- 
lution”; and it may so fall out that the disciples of our 
Lord, in their desire to avoid contention, and in their 
good-natured tolerance of deadly heresies, may become 
traffickers and bargainers in holy things, and soon cease 
to have sufficient iron in their conscience to vigorously 
resist the encroachments of even undisguised enemies. 
The policy of non-resistance I condemn and deplore. 
Occasionally some well-meaning soul arises in the midst 
of the battle and sententiously utters the misleading 
platitude: “Truth is mighty and will prevail.” And 
at times religious journals, presumably having nothing 
better to write on, take ministers to task for introduc- 
ing apologetics into the pulpit, advising them “to 
preach the gospel,” when the minister knows, and the 
editor knows, that the question of the hour is whether 
that same gospel is still credible to the enlightened un- 
derstanding. Thousands do not believe it, because 
pains are not taken to show that it is believable. Then, 
as to “truth being mighty,” it is rarely considered that 
it can never come off victorious unless it takes the 
field. Whoever heard of apathetic, silent truth suc- 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 15 


ceeding against active and eloquent error? Our Lord 
himself was not slow to answer his adversaries. The 
early Christians had their elaborate defenses; and I 
question whether any assault has been checked by 
allowing it to continue unopposed. Truth is mighty ; 
but it is not mighty when it skulks—seeks a hiding- 
place; and never has it prevailed, and never can pre- 
vail, until it bravely meets the enemy face to face. 
Thus far Christianity has been shielded from its foes. 
As yet it has evinced no real signs of decadence. 
Never in the ages gone has it manifested more power 
or progressiveness than in this, the latest, and in many 
respects the most brilliant of the centuries. During 
the last eighty years it has grown more marvelously and 
multiplied its converts more rapidly than during the 
eighteen hundred years preceding. It is still professed 
by the nations of Europe, the most distinguished por- 
tion of the race in art and learning, and through its 
supporters in England and America, its precepts have 
been widely diffused to the most distant shores of Asia 
and Africa, and by means of colonies have been pro- 
claimed from Canada to Chili in a land unknown to the 
ancients. There is, perhaps, no immediate peril; but 
there should be no remote peril either. But though 
the religion of our Lord is still unscathed, it is not to 
be forgotten that unnumbered individuals are being 
unsettled in their convictions by the confident and 
audacious declarations of recent skepticism. More- 
over, there are many well-intentioned people who are 
but raw recruits in the field of discussion, and who are 
bewildered by the noise of “North American Review”’ 
artillery duels, not realizing that the engagements pro- 


16 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


duced there between eminent colonels, judges, and 
statesmen are but affairs of outposts; and some indeed 
there are who lose heart and run away when an amiable 
lady fires her lightly charged ordinance, dreading her 
fiction a good deal more than there is any reason to 
apprehend the sharpest and best-aimed facts. These 
timid souls should not be abandoned to their fears. It 
is no more than right that they should be shown that 
the ship of Zion is thoroughly armored, and quite 
capable of resisting shot and shell from infidel arsenals. 
There are also other classes that need to be warned 
against undue reliance on the airy pretensions of modern 
unbelief. Not a few persons, who desire to live god- 
lessly in the present world, pretend to find in its un- 
qualified assurance, especially when unrebuked, a con- 
venient extenuation for misconduct; while others, who 
are sincerely conscientious, prefer to remain neutral in 
religion, lest in the apparent uncertainties they should 
commit themselves to the support of a venerable false- 
hood. For their sakes, therefore, and for the sakes of 
thousands who are halting and doubting, far more than 
for the sake of Christianity itself, ought the founda- 
tions of the faith to be protected from the insidious 
undermining of visionary speculations, and from the 
dynamiting recklessness of anarchical atheism. A 
large number of intelligent persons are in the position 
of one who inquired of Mr. Coleridge: “Can you prove 
the truth of Christianity?’’ And they need to follow 
the advice of that remarkable man, “Try it.” And that 
they may be induced to “try it,” the one method that 
finally removes all doubts, I have planned this fresh 
statement of 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT Z7 


THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY. 

In carrying out my design it is imperative that we 
consider at the outset 

First, What Christianity is; and 

SrconpLy, Why, and in what sense tt ts dependent 
on argument. 

Christianity does not claim to be a mere moral revo- 
lution, nor a natural stage in the march of spiritual 
progress, nor an evolution from sources within human- 
ity, nor a necessary development from social condi- 
tions; but a definite type of religion divinely ordained 
and bestowed, the generic essence of which is distinct 
from any form it may temporarily assume, and consists 
of the self-revelation of God in Christ for the purpose 
of man’s renewal and redemption. It is not, as Kant 
intimates, merely “reverence for the moral law” ; nor 
as Schelling teaches, “the union of the finite with the 
infinite” ; nor as Fichte affirms, “ faith in the moral 
government of the world”; nor as Hegel asserts, 
“ morality becoming conscious of the free universality 
of its concrete essence” ; and neither is it as Matthew 
Arnold represented, “morality touched by emotion.” 
While it comprehends something of what is intended 
by these several definitions, it is more specifically and 
pre-eminently a salvation. It is also more than an 
organization,—though it contemplates organization,—it 
is a fraternity ; it is more than a creed or an ordinance 
it is a force; and it is more than a gleaming symbol 
or gorgeous ceremonial—it is a life. The church is 
not Christianity, but is only its organ; the Bible is not 
Christianity, but is only its rule and intellectual 
impulse ; and rites and observances are not Christian- 


18 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


ity, and in fact are only its vestments and ornaments. 
In the New Testament it is termed a “kingdom,” a 
“kingdom of God,” “a kingdom that is not meat nor 
drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the 
Holy Ghost,” and which is not “in word but in power.” 
As a distinctive historical movement it appears to be 
the manifestation of the mysterious dominating influ- 
ence over the race of one sublime Personality. Hence 
Schliermacher defines it to be a religious consciousness 
derived from its author, Jesus, and which has been 
maintained by him through all the generations succeed- 
ing his brief earthly ministry. This likewise seems to 
have been the impression of Renan, who recalls the fact 
that our Lord preached ever and only from one text : 
set WIS iL ” «T am the. way, the truth, and the 
life.’ And in the same direction runs the striking 
testimony of Lecky: | 


It was reserved for Christianity to present to the world an 
ideal character, which through all the changes of eighteen cen- 
turies has inspired the hearts of men with an impassioned love ; 
has shown itself capable of acting on all nations, ages, tempera- 
ments, and conditions; has been not only the highest pattern 
of virtue, but the strongest incentive to its practice ; and has 
exercised so deep an influence, that it may be truly said that the 
simple record of three short years of active life has done more 
to regenerate and soften mankind than all the disquisitions of 
philosophers and all the exhortations of moralists.—//zstory of 
European Morals, vol. Ih, p. 9. 


THIS SO-CALLED IDEAL CHARACTER, WITH ITS 
TEACHINGS AND RENEWING GRACE, IS THE VERY SOUL 
OF CHRISTIANITY } AND CHRISTIANITY IS SIMPLY THIS 
SOUL INCARNATED IN THE BODY OF THE FAITHFUL, 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 19 


COMBINED WITH SUCH METHODS, INSTITUTIONS, AND 
ORDINANCES, AS ARE NECESSARY TO GIVE IT VISIBIL- 
ITY AND THE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION AND CON- 
QUEST. 

It is no more than fitting that at this point we 
should hear the voice of Jesus of Nazareth regarding 
the religion that bears his name, and of which he is 
the founder. In his memorable interview with Pilate 
he testified: “My kingdom is not of this world; if 
my kingdom were of this world, then would my ser- 
vants fight.” It is neither carnal in spirit nor in 
source. Unlike the empires of earth it proceeded not 
from ambition or lust of power, and unlike them, it 
does not depend for its existence on armies, violence, 
and bloodshed. On other occasions he calls it “the 
kingdom of God,” “kingdom of heaven,” denoting by 
the phrases its essential character and its superhuman 
origin. When the Pharisees accused him of casting 
out devils by Beelzebub, their prince, he forcefully 
replied: “If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, 
then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” These 
words suggest that he was conscious of a divine 
vocation, and these with other declarations indicate 
that he believed himself to be the representative of 
God on earth to inaugurate a reign of truth and right- 
eousness. His language on this point is full of impas- 
sioned confidence. When sending out his disciples for 
the first time, he says tothem: “He that receiveth 
you, receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, receiveth 
him that sent me.’ To Nicodemus he is even more 
explicit : “We speak that we do know, and testify that 
we have seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I 


20 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how 
shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things? And 
no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came 
down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in 
heaven.” Farther on in his ministry he emphatically 
declares: “I have greater witness than that of John ; 
for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, 
the same works that I do bear witness of me that the 
Father hath sent me;” likewise, “I have many things 
to say and to judge of you, but he that sent me is 
true; and I speak to the world those things which I 
have heard of him.” Thus our Lord in unmistakable 
terms attributes his own mission, messages and marvels 
to the immediate inspiration and interposition of the 
Almighty ; that is, he ascribes to his purpose and power 
all that is distinctive, vital, and indestructible in Chris- 
tianity. But while his thoughts constantly recur to 
the supernatural, he is not oblivious to the employment 
of earthly instrumentalities in accomplishing the merci- 
ful designs of the Infinite. He never intimates that 
Christianity descended, as the Holy City, the New 
Jerusalem, shall descend at last out from the unseen, 
completely fashioned and adorned, and in every way 
perfected by the Divine hand; but rather, that it has 
been built by his servants on the everlasting foundations 
laid by God in Christ. In other words, there is a 
human as well as a divine element in Christianity, dis- 
cernible from the beginning, and apparent at every 
stage of its development. Jesus himself was born of 
a woman, though the eternal Son of the Everlasting 
Father. His approach was announced by the Baptist, 
who came in advance to prepare the way before him, 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 21 


even as on a wider stage heathen civilization and tle 
Hebrew cult had in a sense prepared the world for his 
advent. So likewise his discourses and deeds, and the 
incidents of his career are recorded in a purely natural 
way, and every movement in his ministry leading to 
the final inauguration of his spiritual empire is closely 
and necessarily allied to human means and _instru- 
mentalities. This significant relationship is never 
obscured by the Saviour, and we should never lose 
sight of it; for it not only explains difficulties, recon- 
ciles seeming contradictions, and accounts for unhappy 
corruptions, but it teaches unmistakably that the 
natural as well as the supernatural entered into the 
origin, and has imparted form, tone, and color to the 
Religion of Redemption, as Christianity with manifest 
propriety may be named. 

I say it may thus be named, as this definition very 
accurately describes the purpose it contemplates ; and a 
distinct apprehension of this purpose is really neces- 
sary to a complete understanding of its character. 
Jesus himself said that he had come to give his life a 
ransom for many, and on the institution of the Me- 
morial Supper he solemnly declared that the wine was 
symbolic of his “blood shed for the remission of sins.” 
“ Forthe Son of Man” (meaning himself) he exclaimed, 
“came to seek and to save that which was lost.” But 
how save? By schools, academies, and culture; by evo- 
lution, science, or the increase of intelligence? Nota 
few modern writers have answered that education and 
the march of progress are the instruments to be em- 
ployed by Christianity, and that the intellectual develop- 
ment of mankind is the supreme object of its existence. 


22 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


But nothing of all this appears in any of the teachings 
of the Master. He never once mentions science, or 
the ethical power of art, or the soul-renewing grace of 
music ; nor, indeed, colleges or universities, or anything 
lying purely in the domain of the natural. I do not 
mean to intimate that he was opposed to any of these 
agencies, or that Christianity ought to be indifferent to 
them, only that they were not so much as recognized 
by him as. being indispensable to his peculiar mission. 
They are all important in their place, and ought not to 
be neglected by the church, just as wholesome diet, 
warm clothing, wise sanitation, and sound principles of 
government should receive her attention, although they 
are neither her primary nor chief concern. It need 
hardly be said that there is a wide-spread movement in 
our day looking toward the secularization of the church. 
As far as this means a greater and larger interest on 
her part in everything that concerns the temporal well- 
being of humanity, it is to be commended as the legiti- 
mate outcome of her vocation ; but, if it is to be carried 
to the extreme of restricting her endeavors and her 
preaching to earthly things, and if, in other words, she 
is to cease being a religion and become a reform, and 
if she shall suspend all relations with eternity for the 
sake of restricting herself to the necessities of time, it 
will soon be apparent that she has fallen into error, and 
has sacrificed her special mission and surrendered her 
real power over mankind. The nobler temporalities, 
as they may be called, are undoubtedly the fruits of 
her ministry in the world; but her principal work lies 
in the direction of man’s regeneration and redemption 
through the effectual renewal of the Holy Ghost, and 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 23 


the vicarious sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ; and 
apart from that, her force as a philanthrophy would not 
in any sense be superior to that exercised by any one 
of the ethical clubs now appealing to public sympathy 
for support. Reduce Christianity to the level of other 
merely human institutions, deprive it of the super- 
natural, narrow its horizon to the boundaries of this 
life, and eliminate from its programme the salvation of 
the soul, and it would at once be disqualified to ac- 
complish anything different from or anything higher in 
the cause of social progress than the institutions with 
which, by this process, it would be ranked. The fatal 
folly of utterly secularizing the church has never been 
more clearly seen nor more ably discussed than by M. 
Edmond Scherer, of France, who, though a rationalist 
himself, is not blind to the disastrous consequences of 
rationalism. In his “Crisis of Protestantism” the fol- 
lowing passages occur: 


That which is really imperiled is not so much Protestanism— 
it is Christianity, it is very religion. As for natural religion, 
that exists only in books. Religions that have vital force and 
influence are positive religions ; that is, religions which have a 
church, and particular rites and dogmas. What are these dog- 
mas? ‘Taken in their intimate meaning, they are the solutions 
of the great problems which have ever disquieted the mind of 
man—the origin of the world and of evil; the expiation; the 
future of humanity. . . It is impossible for a positive re- 
ligion to have any other origin than a revelation ; it is neces- 
sarily a history of the intervention of God in the destinies of 
man, the account of acts by which God created and saved the 
world—it is that or it is nothing. 


Then, having dwelt on the endeavor to destroy these 
elements, he continues: 


24 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


I demand nothing better, as far as I am concerned; but I 
cannot refrain from asking, not without anxiety, whether Chris- 
tian rationalism is really a religion. What remains in the cru- 
cible after the operation just detailed? Is the residue really the 
essence of the positive dogmas, or is it but a caput mortuum ? 
When Christianity is rendered translucent to man’s mind, con- 
formable to man’s reason and man’s moral appreciation of 
things, does it still possess any great virtue? Does it not very 
much resemble deism, and is it not equally lean and sterile ? 


From these reflections it is evident that we are war- 
ranted in rejecting every definition of the “faith once 
delivered to the saints,” that does not regard it as 
supernatural in its origin, and as revealing a super- 
natural redemption of which Jesus Christ is the soul 
and the source. 

And just here we touch the vital point in this expo- 
sition, and the one with which the argument of this 
book is mainly, though not exclusively, concerned. If 
Christianity is what we have thus far represented it as 
being, and if as Jesus taught and I am constrained to 
maintain, it came down from heaven, is the gift of God, 
then it is not the product of evolution. This I have 
already affirmed; but the distinction is of sufficient 
importance to call forth a more extended statement. 
With evolution as a theory of the Divine method in 
ordering and processioning the universe, there need be 
no controversy; but as a philosophy of causation, 
affirming that the primary atom contained not only the 
“promise,” but the actual “potency” of every form of 
life, it can never be accepted by believers in the Bible. 
That there has been from the beginning an ascending 
movement, a movement from the simple to the com- 
plex, from the homogeneous to the heterogeneous, and 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 25 


even from the material to the spiritual, and that each 
lower stage has contributed to the higher, may be ad- 
mitted without debate; for such a conception does not 
preclude the possibility of God’s supervision and direct 
intervention. But to exclude the Almighty from his 
works; to assume that after summoning the star-stuff 
or world-stuff into existence he abandoned it, and that 
it has unfolded and shaped itself through the operation 
of inherent forces, is certainly unscriptural; and, what 
is equally clear, has never been proven. There are, 
however, not a few individuals to whom the term “ evo- 
lution” is a solvent of all difficulties and all mysteries, 
and they employ it in the same way as the devout in 
all ages have used the name of God. When they have 
spoken it they have seemed to imagine that nothing 
further need be said or can be said, and that they have 
supplied an adequate explanation of every phenomenon. 
Our position is that their theory explains nothing, and 
that it does not advance the human mind one step to- 
ward the comprehension of the real springs of what 
has been, what is, and what is coming to be. What 
Lowell humorously sings on this point may be seriously 
pondered : 


Our dear and admirable Huxley 
Cannot explain to me why ducks lay, 
Or rather, how into their eggs 
Blunder potential wings and legs. 
Who gets a hair’s-breadth on by showing 
That something else sets all a-going ? 
Farther and farther back we push 
From Moses and his burning bush ; 
Cry, ‘‘Art thou there’’? Above, below, 
All nature mutters yes and ao / 
C 


26 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


’Tis the old answer: we’re agreed, 
Being from being must proceed, 
Life be life’s source. 


And if the poet is correct, if the cause must be com- 
mensurate with the effect, if life can only account for 
life, mind for mind, and spirit for spirit, not merely at 
the beginning of the series, but throughout the succes- 
sion, then it cannot be reasonable to conclude that the 
Supreme Being, who called everything into existence at 
the first, has no direct agency in the maintenance and 
development of what he originally created. To this 
likewise it may be added, that no one has ever shown 
an actual case of evolution apart from a designing in- 
telligence shaping and determining the process. Some 
of our scientists adduce innumerable imaginary in- 
stances, instances supposed to have occurred before the 
historic period, and which are of course incapable of 
demonstration; but no one, I repeat it, has ever ex- 
hibited a flower or an animal lifting itself into a higher 
order unaided by the action of mind. What was before 
history we do not know, and science does not know; but 
if we see now that there is no evolution unless guided by 
thought, no wild rose changed into the cultivated rose, 
no pigeons or animals domesticated, and no improve- 
ment made in human character and social conditions 
where intelligence does not interpose and play the lead- 
ing part, we have no warrant for teaching that there 
ever was a time when it could be otherwise, a time 
when intelligence, either that of the Creator or of the 
creature made in his image, was not indispensable to 
development of every kind. 

Of late much has been said, and much that is mis- 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 27 


leading, on the evolution of Christianity. If by the 
phraseology is meant simply that Christianity is the 
child of prophecy, that it was inspired at its formation 
by Hebrew teachings, and that social conditions and the 
agency of man had something to do with its origin, 
and not that it was independent of Divine and super- 
natural influences, it may be permitted to pass unchal- 
lenged. The employment of such language, however, 
ought to be carefully guarded. When it is used with- 
out reserve, the public is liable to infer that the writer, 
or speaker, has adopted Hzeckel’s interpretation of the 
word ‘evolution,’ and in applying it to Christianity 
would be understood as holding that religion was the 
outgrowth of purely natural causes. That this is the 
ordinary impression conveyed by the word is evident 
from the fact that when a lecturer or preacher employs 
it, the press and the people usually set him down as 
an advanced thinker, and as one who has broken with 
the past. In several instances which I might name, 
as in that of the venerable Dr. McCosh, I am sure 
the inference is far from being justified. I see no 
objection to the term when judiciously defined, and 
when applied to the human side of our religion,—which 
ought always to be recognized,—and in such connection 
I do not question its reievancy. My antagonism is 
only aroused when it is introduced equivocally, or when 
it is purposely designed to obscure the supernatural. 
With this intent it is now not unfrequently invoked. 
Outside the church there are some prominent essayists 
who insist that Christianity has been evolved by nat- 
ural means exclusively from inferior religions, and that 
from it in the future will be evolved a higher type of 


28 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


religion than itself. The ground for this daring hy- 
pothesis is the broad and general belief that every- 
thing, religion included, by an inherent necessity is 
forever tending toward improvement. It is said, “ Be- 
hold the upward trend of all things; mark how the 
inanimate presses on the animate, the animal on the 
human, the physical on the mental!” Well, admitting 
that in the main this rule is operative, may it not be 
that, like other rules, there exists a notable exception ? 
A little examination will satisfy us that religion furnishes 
just such an exception, for there is reason to believe 
that, left to itself, it inclines downward and not upward. 
Professor Max Miiller discusses this subject with much 
ability in “ Chips from a German Workshop,” (Intro., p. 
xxiii), from which we quote the following: 


If there is one thing which a comparative study of religions 
places in the clearest light, it is the inevitable decay to which 
every religion is exposed. It may seem almost like a truism 
that no religion can continue to be what it was during the life- 
time of its founder and its first apostles. Yet it is but seldom 
borne in mind that without constant reformation—~z. ¢., without 
a constant return to its fountain-head—every religion, even the 
most perfect, nay, the most perfect on account of its very per- 
fection, more than others suffers from its contact with the 
world, as the purest air suffers from the mere fact of its being 
breathed. 


In the same direction testifies Mr. Collins, of Eng- 
land : . 


The only natural law which the science of religion has forced 
upon my own conviction is, that man has exhibited a constant 
tendency to drop the spiritual out of religion while he may retain 
the material. Deterioration from the original truth seems to 
have been the natural order of growth in religions. It was cer- 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 29 


tainly so in the religion of Israel. It has been certainly so in 
the history of Christianity. 

In proof of this drift toward deterioration it may be 
mentioned that the Chinese were monotheists from a re- 
mote antiquity, and continued so until Persian dualism 
was introduced about two thousand eight hundred years 
before Christ. The polytheism that followed abundantly 
illustrates the facility with which faith degenerates. 
Hinduism furnishes a similar illustration. It has been 
argued by competent scholars that the most ancient 
hymns of the Rig Veda disclose a primeval monothe- 
ism, and Professor Monier Williams claims that Dyans, 
God of the Bright Sky, was originally worshiped as 
the Supreme (“Indian Thought,” p. 11). The fall 
from that high pedestal has been tremendous. Objects 
of worship have multiplied, and they themselves and 
the modes employed to show them reverence are alike 
debasing. I do not overlook the fact that idolatry is 
not the only abyss into which the Hindu mind has 
precipitated itself; for, as represented by its philoso- 
phers, it has turned toward pantheism, the ideal, by the 
way, and the goal held up before the Christians of to- 
day, toward which their faith is supposed to be veering, 
And yet it must be something of a shock to hear a 
grave Brahmin say: “Yes; God is everywhere and 
everything is God. You are God, I am God; the cow, 
the leopard, and the elephant—all are God.” When 
we reflect on these sentiments, and on the condition 
of the people where they prevail, we perceive that in 
proportion as the sacred name gains in extent it loses 
in power. When it is applied to the creatures lower 
than man it ceases to have power to lift man up higher 


30 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


than man. In making everything God, the real idea 
of God suffers eclipse. He that allies a cow with the 
Infinite Spirit, and equalizes one with the other, as he 
sees the cow and cannot see the Spirit, will be more 
potently affected by the former than the latter. It is 
easier to level a mountain than to elevate a plain. 
When the great and glorious Jehovah is identified with 
four-footed beasts, and crawling reptiles, and the very 
dust of the field, the worship of such a being is precisely 
synonymous with idolatry and fetichism; and, as has 
been over and over again proven by history, the ascent 
from such a degradation is well-nigh impossible. And 
if Christianity were abandoned, in this downward direc- 
tion would misguided humanity gravitate. Certainly, 
whether toward this gulf or another equally forbidding, 
Judaism had deteriorated, long before the birth of 
Jesus, from its original character. It had gone back- 
ward and was still going backward, when our Lord 
appeared. Judging from analogy, it had not in itself 
the power of self-recuperation, much less the power to 
evolve from its own decay and putrefaction a new and 
a grander faith. It was impossible for it to develop out 
of itself the Christian system. Neither had it the means 
or instruments within itself for the achievement of 
such a work. Such an “evolution,” if that term must 
be employed, could only be effected by an adequate 
agency acting upon it from without; and it is the aim 
and scope of this volume to prove that that agency 
must have been Divine. 

But why should an argument be required to prove 
that Christianity is not the natural and inevitable pro- 
duct of some worn-out and by-gone creed, or of man’s 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 31 


devout aspirations and social progress? Why should 
it be necessary to confirm anew to reason and con- 
science the supernatural credentials of this stupendous 
faith? Why have not former generations settled the 
controversy for this and all succeeding generations? 
Must the world be continually discussing, never at rest, 
never entirely convinced? It is not easy to see why 
the Almighty should not have put an end to the possi- 
bility of doubt, and have rendered superfluous rules of 
evidence and processes of disputation. At first it does 
seem as though everything relating to doctrine and 
discipline, and to the very foundations of religion 
should have been so infallibly determined as to render 
cavil or question utterly inexcusable and unimaginable. 
Bishop Butler (“ Analogy,” part 2, 106), a hundred and 
fifty years ago met this very inquiry. He contended 
that God having placed us here in a state of probation, 
the demonstration on behalf of spiritual and moral 
issues is not so overwhelming as to preclude the danger 
of mistake. It has been shown in more than one case 
that where there has been fancied certainty there has 
been engendered a very large amount of indifference. 
In the Roman Catholic Church, where it is claimed that 
intellectual rest is enjoyed, and where the people are 
taught that there is no occasion for debate, no particu- 
lar interest is felt in the Bible, and no special effort 
made to ascertain its meaning. In that community 
stagnation of thought among the laity is encouraged. 
Apathy ensues; and doubtless similar results would 
follow were Christianity in such a position as never to 
excite misgiving or mistrust. This very element of un- 
certainty ministers to the appreciation of truth. 


32 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


James Martineau, writing on a topic kindred to this, 
says : 


You might set up the electric telegraph among the New Zea- 
landers and train them to its use; and the Indians and the 
Chinese are said to have command of many mechanical rules 
and astronomical methods, the grounds of which they have for 
ages ceased to understand. A people thus the depository of a 
transmitted skill may continue, amid stagnation and decline, to 
send their messages and to construct their almanacs with curious 
precision, and may profit by the science of the past. But the 
higher truths of morals and religion have another abode than in 
posts and wires, and cannot be laid down in cables through the 
sea ; no equation can contain or usage work them. ‘They sub- 
sist only for him who discerns them freshly out of himself; they 
are realized in so far as they are apprehended ; and their very 
use and application, being at the heart instead of the surface of 
our nature their function is extinct when they cease to be redis- 
covered and rebelieved, are only remembered and preserved. 
In other words, it is the thirst for fresh truths which can alone 
retain the old; and the intellect not less than the character will 
not even hold its own when it ceases to pray and to aspire.— 
Essays, Philosophical and Theological, p. goo. 


Never were sounder sentiments expressed. Profes- 
sors of religion may be merely like telegraph poles con- 
nected with each other and the distant past by sacred 
opinions, along which some gleam of light and truth 
may flash to troubled souls, while they themselves are 
inert and unconscious of the real significance of what 
they stand for ; but they ought to be trees of righteous- 
ness, full of life and fruitful, with their very leaves for 
the healing of the nations. If they are ever this then 
they must have an intelligent apprehension and a gen- 
uine conviction of the truth of what they avow. To 
have this the demands of reason must be met, and the 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT ai 


means to this end are simply adequate argument. As 
Mr. Martineau says: “Truth only subsists for him who 
has discovered it freshly for himself, and it is realized 
only so far as it is apprehended.” It may be professed 
without thought, but it cannot be possessed, and the 
thoughtful inquiry necessary to personal ownership is 
only a process of argumentation. 

At times we hear it said, let us have more appeal 
and less argument, as argument is of secondary 
moment. And yet all true appeal is largely argumen- 
tative, and may be defined as argument on fire with 
emotion. In the Christian system conviction goes be- 
fore conversion and conduct ; and when it is assumed, 
as it frequently is, that conviction is exclusively a state 
of the moral feelings and not at all of the judgment, a 
most palpable error is countenanced. Dr. John Caird 
has written clearly and conclusively on the function 
of intelligence in spiritual concerns, and his words are 
weighty enough to be reproduced here: 


The basis of religion lies in the very essence of man’s nature 
as a thinking, self-conscious being. . . Religion must, indeed, 
be a thing of the heart ; but in order to elevate it from the region 
of conjecture, caprice, and waywardness, and to distinguish be- 
tween that which is true and false in religion ; between the lowest 
and most corrupt, and the highest and purest forms of religion, 
we must appeal to an objective standard. That which enters the 
heart must first be discerned by the intelligence to be true. It 
must be seen as having in its own nature a right to dominate 
feeling, and as constituting the principle by which feeling must 
be judged and regulated. —/ntroduction to the Philosophy of Re- 
figion, pp. 100, 174. 


Therefore, if genuine disciples are to be multi- 


34 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


plied, the entire being of the man must be moved 
according to its nature—mind, feelings, and volition— 
and the beginning must always be made with the mind. 
If it is asked why the individual cannot be reached by 
some other method, my answer simply is that he is so 
constituted as to be swayed by argument. And if it is 
further asked why he is thus constituted? I may as well 
reply, I do not know, unless it is that this very char- 
acteristic is indispensable to manhood. Suffice it, man 
is an intelligent creature, and religion holds its place in 
his life and in that of the community through intelligent 
confidence in its extraordinary claims, and intelligent con- 
fidence is the result of convincing argument. It should 
be remembered also that he never can believe ethical or 
spiritual propositions on mere authority, whether of so- 
called sacred books or persons ; for only will conscience 
submit to that which carries with it conviction, and the 
convicting quality not the commanding tone is after all 
the practical and determining measure of true authority. 

Then, finally, the argument is important, and indeed 
vitally necessary to the perpetuity and power of Chris- 
tianity as proving that it was not at the outset estab- 
lished without various “infallible proofs”; that it has 
not maintained itself without enduring constant un- 
friendly criticism ; and that it could not now be rejected 
without grievous loss to the world, a loss that cannot 
be made up by unbelief in any of its many forms. A 
French deist, of a particular type, complained to a 
friend, that he had invented a brand-new religion, but 
that he could not get it accepted. It was suggested 
by Talleyrand that there was a way to success: “Get 
yourself crucified, die, be buried, and rise again the 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 35 


third day, and you will have numerous followers.” 
Nothing short of this tremendous tragedy and miracle 
established Christianity in the faith of its primitive dis- 
ciples. Its credentials were to its earliest friends and 
supporters extraordinary and unimpeachable. They at 
least would not admit its claims unsupported by what 
they regarded as the most indubitable approval—super- 
naturally expressed—of Heaven. Their insistency at 
this point, their demand for the rarest and most diffi- 
cult of all evidences should at least create a presump- 
tion in our mind favorable to Christianity, and satisfy 
us, whether the original line of argument is adapted to 
this century or not, that Christianity did not obtain its 
footing in the world without the most scrupulous and 
searching investigation. 

Neither has it continued without being interrogated, 
catechised, and scrutinized at every step of its history. 
Each age has produced some school of thought hostile 
to its existence, and yet it has survived them all, and 
in spite of antagonisms is quietly pursuing its way. 
What the “Jewish Messenger” says of the Bible is 
equally true of the religion with which it is inextricably 
interwoven : 


If the permanency of Scripture itself is a marvel, no less 
marvelous is the romance of criticism with which it is insepara- 
bly associated. We call it romance, because there has been no 
theory too wild to be fastened on the Bible, no view too absurd 
to be connected with its stories and chronicles. The rise and 
decline of such schools of criticism has been constant. Each 
believes that it has discovered a secret. Each prides itself on 
superior scholarship. Each claims to be based on the latest dis- 
coveries, and lo! each passes away with all its positiveness and 
erudition, and the Bible remains : 


36 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Last eve I paused beside a blacksmith’s door, 
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime ; 
Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor 
Old hammers worn with beating years of time. 


‘¢How many anvils have you had?’’ said I, 
«©To wear and batter all these hammers so?”’ 
‘‘ Just one,’’ said he; then said, with twinkling eye, 
‘‘The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.’ 


’ 


And so, I thought, the anvil of God’s word 
For ages sceptic blows have beat upon ; 

Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard, 
The anvil is unharmed—the hammers gone. 


So, likewise, Christianity has been subject to the 
scoffs, sneers, and revilings of many men of many theo- 
ries. She has been pronounced unsuited to various 
ages, and she has blessed all. Her speedy demise has 
frequently been proclaimed, and yet somehow she con- 
tinues to live. She has been abused as an oppressor, 
and still the poor and helpless seek her altars for refuge 
and shelter; and she has been ostracized as a fraud 
and superstition, and yet her supporters are among 
the most honest and intelligent citizens everywhere. 
This striking persistence, this survival in the struggle 
for existence, is sufficiently noteworthy to create the 
impression that she survives because she is “the 
fittest,’ and to deepen the predisposition in her favor as 
the special gift of Heaven. 

Some few bewildered people speak of the surrender- 
ing of their faith in our Lord’s religion asa gain. They 
imagine they have thereby gotten rid of their con- 
science, of their apprehensions, of dark problems of sin 
and sorrow, and for a while they are comparatively 


CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ARGUMENT 47 


happy. But they forget what they have lost: the im- 
pulse to righteousness; the high ideal of sainthood ; 
the inspiration to beneficence, fraternity with the 
noblest of manhood; the possibility of moral renewal 
and of life everlasting. The argument for Christianity 
will make all this clear, and the very vastness of the 
poverty entailed on infidelity will go far toward clinch- 
ing the evidence on which its divine origin rests. And 
it will show unanswerably that the actual loss is not 
met by any tangible gain at all. When religion is laid 
aside all of the old perplexities and difficulties remain, 
and the melancholy and strain of existence increase. 
There is no compensation. Thousands have experi- 
enced this. They have played and trifled with unbe- 
lief for a season, have talked loudly of emancipation 
and the triumph of reason, and then, after a while, 
when the novelty has worn away and the solitudes of 
the universe and of their own being have become un- 
endurable, they have sought once more at the Cross 
peace and hope. Surely a religion that means as much 
as this to the human soul ought not to be lightly dealt 
with. And the value of the argument we are to weigh 
turns in no small degree on the fact that it will show 
how wonderfully adapted is Christianity to the best 
interests of the soul. That one great fact ought to ex- 
plode a hundred quibbles and objections. It ought to 
predispose the mind to candor in judging, and ought to 
lead to conviction. For if infidelity brings no comfort, 
satisfies no longings, allays no fears, and leaves us still 
in unrest, may it not be well to try the old faith once 
more, to turn again to Him who is the “Light of 


Life,’ in hopes of a sufficient answer to the “ob- 
D 


38 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


stinate questionings” and “blank misgivings of the 
Creatureas 


Where’s 
The gain? How can we guard our unbelief, 
Make it bear fruit to us ?—the problem here : 
Just when we're safest there’s a sunset touch, 
A fancy from a flower-bell, some one’s death, 
A chorus-ending from Euripides : 
And that’s enough for fifty hopes and fears, 
As old and new at once as Nature’s self, 
To rap, and knock, and enter in our soul, 
Take hands and dance there a fantastic ring, 
Round the ancient idol, on his base again, 
The grand Perhaps! We look on helplessly. 
There the old misgivings, crooked questions are— 
This good God, what he could do if he would, 
Would, if he could—then, must have done long since; 
If so, when, where, and how? Some way must be! 
Once feel about, and soon or late you hit 
Some sense in which it might be after all. 
Why not ‘‘ The Way, the Truth, the Life’’ ? 


(Ole Vee ei aai ih 
THE ARGUMENT FROM. HISTORY. 


Niggrttecesey is represented as saying: “What is 

history, but a fable agreed upon?” And Tacitus, 
one of its most earnest students and most graphic 
writers, has deepened this distrust by his melancholy 
comment: “I can come to no certain conclusion as to 
whether the affairs of men are guided by the immuta- 
ble law of destiny, or by the whirling wheel of chance.” 
A far nobler and truer conception is that which regards 
it as “the conscience of the human race,” and describes 
it as the “prophetical interpreter of that most sacred 
epic of which God is the poet, and humanity the theme.” 
Juster, also, in my opinion the estimates of Polybius and 
Froude, as to its clearness, significance, and value. The 
former of these authors declares that, “History offers 
the highest of educations, and that it alone, without in- 
jury, teaches us from every season and circumstance to 
be true judges of what is best’ ; while the latter assures 
us that there is only one lesson it repeats with solemn 
distinctness: ‘That the world is built somehow on 
moral foundations ; that in the long run, it is well with 
the good; in the long run, it is ill with the wicked.” 
Thomas Carlyle, after his manner of contemplating 
mountain peaks and ignoring meadows and seques- 
tred nooks, has somewhat obscured this high ethical 
purport of all events and all movements by defining 

39 


40 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


history to be “the record of remarkable actions.” 
Surely this is altogether too narrow a view, for fre- 
quently common-place words and trivial deeds have 
led to most stupendous and startling results. The 
cackling of a goose, a vain woman’s infatuation with 
the golden ornaments of barbarian invaders, a mis- 
directed or misinterpreted dispatch, the stumbling of 
a horse, the passage of some benighted bird through a 
brilliantly lighted banquet hall, a casual interview at a 
convent’s gate, or the inheritance of a dead man’s appar- 
ently useless charts, and a vast city is saved from its 
foes, or is surrendered to their overwhelming fury 
which also engulfs the silly traitress, or a regiment of 
gallant soldiers rides into “the jaws of death, into the 
mouth of hell,” or an aspiring, ambitious ruler comes 
suddenly to grief, or a Saxon tribe is converted to the 
gospel, or a continent is discovered and a new civiliza- 
tion begun. Small things sometimes lead to more 
tremendous consequences -than great things, and may 
ultimately mean more in the annals of mankind, even 
as the sore throat of the Emperor Frederick had a pro- 
founder significance to the German Empire than the 
cannon of France before which its prince rode un- 
harmed. 

I cannot, therefore, agree with Carlyle, and am con- 
vinced that Herodotus comes nearer to a fitting idea 
of the scope of history, when at the beginning of his 
immortal work he says: “To rescue from oblivion 
the memory of former incidents, and to render a just 
tribute of renown to the many great and wonderful 
actions, both of Greeks and barbarians, Herodotus of 
Halicarnassus produces this historical essay.” Here 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY 4I 


we have no discrimination between what is remarkable 
and ordinary, but the promise of a faithful and accur- 
ate portrayal or reproduction of the past. From these 
combined conceptions we are surely warranted in con- 
cluding, if God is in history, if it is in a sense the con- 
science of man, if its final bearing is mainly ethical and 
spiritual, and if it comprehends the acts and changes 
of the least conspicuous character, then it must com- 
prehend in its annals the beginnings of religion, how- 
ever obscure or lowly they may have been, and must 
bear witness to the truth or falseness of the alleged 
facts on which its high pretentions rest. The nature 
of history and the solemn import of religion alike for- 
bid a contrary supposition ; especially as so profound a 
thinker and inquirer as Max Miiller has declared, as the 
result of his scholarly researches, that religion is the 
principal theme of history, and that without religion 
there is in reality no history at all deserving of the 
name. . 
Christianity is a historical religion; by which is 
- meant not only that its origin is assignable to a defi- 

nite period of time, but that it is interwoven with a 
series of events, which events involve the substance of 
its doctrines. A mythical religion is one that creates 
facts, which are not facts, out of ideas; a historical 
religion is one that evolves ideas out of facts. Prof. 
Powell writes : 

A myth is a doctrine expressed in a narrative form; an ab- 
stract moral or spiritual truth dramatized in action and personi- 


fication, where the object is to enforce faith, not in the parable, 
but in the moral.—Zssays, L//., p. 340. 


The Hegelian principle is that history is the objec- 


42 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


tive development of the idea, and as it is unfolded 
necessarily and inevitably it must be entitled to confi- 
dence; but when the idea comes first, and is not pri- 
marily an occurrence, it cannot have the advantage of 
the same kind of evidence. Mr. Edward Bellamy some 
few years since published a remarkable and interesting 
book, entitled “ Looking Backward.” It is the story 
of an age yet to come, in which various characters 
move and act as though they were real beings. But 
the author’s design was not to inspire belief in the 
narrative. He rather sought, through the narrative, 
to inculcate a doctrine and convince of its soundness ; 
and his design is so effectively carried out that the 
reader remembers on the close of the volume very 
little about the hero, or his bride, or the doctor, or 
any one else, but carries with him a vivid impression 
of the ideal society that has been so eloquently elabo- 
rated. This composition illustrates what we mean by 
the mythical in literature, and enables us to discern 
the drift of what Strauss taught when he applied this 
term to the Gospels. His treatment of the four evan- 
gels is very adequately and succinctly explained by Rev. 
J. Henry Thayer, from whom I quote the following 
passage: 

According to him, not only has orthodoxy been wrong in 
claiming that they contain miraculous history, but rationalism 
has made a mistake in denying the miracles, yet affirming the 
history ; for correctly understood, they contain neither miracles 
nor history, but the unconscious substitution of opinion for facts. 
Just as, in the fabulous accounts given us of the origin of the 
various pagan faiths, we have religious ideas presented in a 


concrete or historical form, which form we rend that we may 
get at the kernel of truth it envelops; so is it with the Gospels. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY 43 


Jesus of Nazareth, an extraordinary man, is mistaken by his 
countrymen for the expected Messiah. Their admiring venera- 
tion attaches to him all the characteristics composing the preva- 
lent idea of that exalted personage. . This is evident from the 
correspondence existing between the traits of their portrait of 
him and the ideal prefigured in the Old Testament. . . These 
records are not histories ; they are not fictions ; they are, rather, 
a dramatic presentation of truths. Call them historic, if you 
will: they exhibit a true history of thought, not a pretended 
history of fact.—Critéczsm Confirmatory of the Gospels, p. 327. 


Christianity in the interest of its own veracity and 
authority repudiates this theory as unreasonable and 
untenable, and, in the words of Dean Stanley, “alone 
of all religions, claims to be founded not on fancy or 
feeling, but on fact and truth.” (“Sinai and Pales- 
tine, chdap.2.) 1 ‘“Werfind,” says Rawlinson, “in the 
Christian dispensation a scheme of doctrine which 
is bound up with the facts, which depends absolutely 
upon them, and which may be regarded as for all 
practical purposes established if they are shown to 
deserve acceptance.” (‘ Historical Evidences,” p. 26.) 
The doctrine falls if the facts are discredited. They 
are the foundation on which the superstructure is 
built ; they are the plant which embosoms and vitalizes 
the flower; they are the body that incarnates and sus- 
tains the soul; and they are the sun, indeed the entire 
solar system, generating, emitting, and reflecting the 
light. Let them be swept away, let them be set aside 
by arbitrary criticism, and structure, flower, soul, and 
light must share in the deplorable and irreparable ruin. 
If Jesus of Nazareth wrought miracles, especially the 
miracles recorded in the New Testament, and if he was 
raised from the dead, then is the doctrine of the super- 


A4 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


natural established; and more than that, then is it 
proven that spirit is supreme over matter, and that the 
Christ is all that he claims to be as God’s glorious 
revelation, and as man’s gracious Redeemer. But once 
let these alleged marvels lose their reality, and doubt 
immediately enshrouds the truths which they demon- 
strate in darkness. Hence it is that Niebuhr, who I 
admit is not always consistent with himself, but who is 
one of the chief lights in the realm of historical criti- 
cism, writes: 


In my opinion he is not a Protestant Christian who does not 
receive the historical facts of Christ’s early life in their literal 
acceptation, with all their miracles, as equally authentic with 
any event recorded in history, and whose belief in them is not 
as firm and tranquil as his belief in the latter; . . . who does 
not consider every doctrine and every precept of the New Testa- 
ment as undoubted divine revelation in the sense of the Chris- 
tians of the first century, who knew nothing of a Theopneustia. 
Moreover, a Christianity after the fashion of the modern philoso- 
phers and pantheists, without a personal God, without immor- 
tality, without human responsibility, without historical faith, is 
no Christianity at all to me.—Azcient History, vol. L., pp. 20, 
Speech ere | 


He is correct. Either the kingdom of Christ rests 
on these tremendous external facts, and is itself com- 
prehended in them, or they must be invalidated by some 
kind of explanation that does away with them entirely. 
And when they are swept away, somehow the kingdom 
ceases not only to be substantial, but to be other than 
nonsensical. Thus Herr Paulus and his school assure 
the world without the least hesitation that the magi 
with their gifts were only Jewish peddlers; that the 
star which shone in the East was a comet or passing 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY A5 


meteor ; that the salutation of the angel was only a 
thought of gladness; that the dumbness of Zacharias 
was a stroke of paralysis; that the glory of the Lord 
shining on the shepherds was just the light of a lantern 
carried by a man who unexpectedly came over the hill ; 
and that all the other startling and supernatural occur- 
rences are equally as trivial, and even foolish, when 
adequately interpreted by this so-called rationalistic 
method. As Hermann aptly characterizes their 
endeavors, they really invent exegetical miracles for 
the sake of getting rid of evangelical miracles. In 
choosing between them, as perforce we must, we ought 
surely to select the latter as being on the whole not 
only more dignified, but more intelligible and more 
credible to common sense. 

Moreover, I am sure it will strengthen this conclu- 
sion by observing how myths come to be formed, and 
how next to impossible it must have been to have 
invented them and given them currency in connection 
with the dawning of Christianity. An illustration of 
the usual process is furnished in what is now published 
about St. Patrick. This saint, when a youth of fifteen 
or sixteen, was carried from Scotland to Ireland (about 
376 A. D.), and was there doomed for a time to slavery. 
But he became an apostle of the true faith in the land 
of his captivity. There is no evidence that he himself 
claimed any miraculous power, but after his death 
stories multiplied with each succeeding generation, 
until he came in the twelfth century to be the hero of 
so many wonderful legends that the facts of his life 
were hopelessly lost in the heap of absurd fictions. 
Mr. Gibbon testifies that at this period there were 


46 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


sixty-six biographies extant of this remarkable man, 
and that they must have contained at least as many 
thousand les. What he may have said regarding his 
good angel watching over him, speaking figuratively or 
confidently of an invisible presence, was construed a 
hundred years later to mean that he had been accom- 
panied by a manifest heavenly intelligence, and in the 
sixth century a rock in the county Down was pointed 
out as the one from which the seraph Victor sprang 
when he returned to glory. The imprint of the 
angelic foot remained there. Years roll on, and the 
wonders accumulate until we are told that St. Patrick 
lighted a fire with icicles, floated to Ireland on an altar 
of stone, swam across the Shannon with his head in 
his mouth, caused a goat to cry out in the stomach of 
a thief who had stolen it, and raised a score or more of 
men to life. What is especially to be noted in these 
accounts is the time element. ‘The fictions do not fol- 
low immediately on the career of the original. They 
have to grow. Deeds are exaggerated, and then they 
are invested with a supernatural character, and then 
they are connected with extravagant prodigies ; but the 
process needed—even in an ecclesiastical age—centu- 
ries for its completion. But a period of this magni- 
tude did not elapse before the facts of early Christian- 
ity, including the resurrection of Christ, were very 
generally accepted. The story shows no growth. 
«The idea of men writing mythic histories between 
the time of Livy and Tacitus, and St. Paul mistaking 
such for realities!’’ (Arnold, “ Life,” p. 58. Froude’s 
«Short Studies on Great Subjects.”) Imagination or de- 
votion had no opportunity to devise fables of our Lord’s 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY 47 


birth, superhuman achievements, and victory over death. 
What the latest disciples believe on these subjects was 
believed by the first. With the very beginning of our 
religion everything of a marvelous character was 
affirmed that has subsequently been proclaimed. The 
mythical hypothesis, therefore, collapses, falls to the 
ground, as all the extraordinary circumstances and 
miracles which it seeks to explain away were credited 
at the very outset, and were announced even before 
the doctrines they involve were distinctly developed 
and defined ; and they must consequently be regarded 
as veritably historical, or as a deliberately and wickedly 
planned tissue of monstrous fabrications and false- 
hoods. But that they are the former and not the 
latter is sufficiently substantiated— 
I. Ly Historical Documents. 
Il. By Historical Monuments. 

Il. By Htstorical Developments. 

Chief among such documents as I have named stand 
the Gospels and other apostolic writings. To these I 
shall refer in another connection, when the date of their 
origin and their authenticity may properly come under 
consideration. For the present, however, it will be 
well to recall what eminent unbelievers in the super- 
natural have to say concerning their fidelity and trust- 
worthiness. Goethe testifies that he believes “the 
Gospels to be thoroughly genuine; for in them there 
is the effective reflection of a sublimity which emanated 
from the person of Christ. . . If ever the Divine 
appeared on earth it was in the person of Jesus.”! So, 
also, John Stuart Mill: “The tradition of followers 


1 Goethe’s “‘ Conversations with Eckermann.” 


48 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


may have inserted all the miracles which he is reputed 
to have wrought”; only, as I have shown, sufficient 
time had not elapsed between his death and the com- 
position of the narratives of his life for traditions to 
have been formed— 


But who among his disciples, or among their proselytes, was 
capable of inventing the sayings ascribed to Jesus, or imagining 
the life and character revealed in the Gospels? Certainly not the 
fishermen of Galilee; as certainly not Saint Paul, whose char- 
acter and idiosyncrasies were of a totally different sort ; and still 
less the early Christian writers.! 


And Rousseau, with even greater distinctness, says: 


Shall we suppose the evangelical history a mere fiction? 
Indeed, my friend, it bears no mark of fiction. On the contrary, 
the history of Socrates, which no one presumes to doubt, is not 
so well attested as that of Jesus Christ. Such a supposition in 
fact only shifts the difficulty without obviating it. It is more in- 
conceivable that a number of persons should agree to write such 
a history, than that one should furnish the subject of it. The 
Jewish authors were incapable of the diction, and strangers to the 
morality contained in the Gospels. The marks of its truth are 
so striking and inimitable that the inventor would be a more 
astonishing character than the hero.? 


Renan commits himself in a similar manner;’? and 
Froude even confesses “ the overwhelming proofs of the 
authenticity’ of John’s Gospel, the one most open to at- 
tack. —These eminent men being judges, the earliest of 
Christ’s biographers are entitled to credit. They are 
not romancers, but the plain chroniclers of what they 
saw and heard, and consequently the documents that 


"1 Mill’s “ Three Essays.” 2 Rousseau’s * Emile.” 
8 Renan’s ‘‘ Life of Jesus.” 4 Froude’s “‘ Short Studies.” 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY 19 


came from their pens are historical, and entitled to re- 
spectful attention. It is unnecessary to repeat the 
substance of the account they give, as it is familiar to 
all my readers, and is known full well to include the 
most positive recognition of the supernatural in the 
ministry of Jesus and in the religion he founded. 
Other ancient authors confirm their representations. 
Lucian and Porphyry, the earliest assailants of Chris- 
tianity, do not in reality question the facts of the Gos- 
pels, and they concede the moral grandeur of Christ’s 
character. Julian, called the Apostate, never asserted 
that our Lord was merely a figment of the imagination, 
but admitted the truth of the essentials of his biography, 
and when dying is reported to have cried out, “O 
Galilean, thou hast conquered!” Celsus seems to have 
considered him an impostor; but he in nowise recog- 
nizes the mythical theory. Tacitus in his “ Annals” 
records, as he would any other events, the death of 
Jesus in the reign of Tiberius, mentioning Pontius 
Pilate, the procurator, as the judge, and adding that 
his religion, which he terms “a deadly superstition,” 
“though crushed for a time, burst forth again, not only 
throughout Judea, in which it sprang up, but even in 
Rome, the common reservoir for all the streams of 
wickedness and infamy.’ When describing the burn- 
ing of Rome he relates how Nero, to shield himself 
from the imputation of the crime, charged it on the 
Christians; and then Tacitus defends them from the 
accusation of incendiarism, though he intimates that 
they deserved what they received on account of their 
misanthropy.’ It is clear that this writer had no suspicion 


IVDacitus, Geristory, 455 35.40 Aunals, x5, 44; 
E 


50 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


that the origin of this “deadly superstition’ was simi- 
lar to or identical with the inception of pagan myths, or 
that its great teacher was a mirage-like figure born of a 
frenzied fancy. He treats the entire subject seriously, 
as consisting of indubitable facts, though with the prej- 
udice and partiality to be expected from his education 
and social surroundings. ‘The references of Suetonius 
and Pliny are equally emphatic against the mythical 
hypothesis, the latter expressly testifying that nothing 
could shake the allegiance of Christians to Christ, 
whose divinity they celebrated each morning with 
hymns of praise.’ 

Some persons have expressed surprise that the allu- 
sions to our Saviour are not more abundant than they 
are in secular literature up to the date of Pliny’s report 
to Trajan, 112 A.D. They insist that the theme is one 
of such transcendent importance that it ought to have 
commanded more attention. But it ought to be re- 
membered by critics that in the days referred to there 
were comparatively few authors, that these few had 
been reared under the shadow of heathenism and had 
imbibed its spirit. Moreover, it should not be forgotten 
that absolute independence of thought was hardly 
practicable under the Czesars, when literary men stood in 
need of patronage, and offenses against existing insti- 
tutions were cruelly punished. Christianity was not 
calculated to please such tyrants as the emperors, nor 
to find favor in the brilliant but corrupt circles which 
composed the highest society at the capital: An 
English scholar thus describes the weaknesses and de- 
ficiencies of writers during this period : 


— 


1 Pliny, Ep. 10, 97, 98. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY 51 


The historians are so occupied with the great events of his- 
tory, the satirists so busy with the vices of upper-class society, 
the moralists with abstract theorizing, the poets with Greek 
mythology and with the maintenance of their footing in the 
atria of the rich and the favor of the emperor and his freedmen, 
that they have neither time to write about the aims of imperial 
policy nor eyes to see them ; and we gather only indirectly from 
them some information which we can interpret by other author- 
ities.—Ramsay, ‘ Church in the Roman Empire,’ p. 184. 


Well, if they were so exceedingly careful and non- 
commital on questions of State, it can readily be under- 
stood that they would hardly venture to be very ex- 
plicit on the subject of a religion whose genius was so 
entirely foreign to the idolatries and oppressions of 
the government. In the circumstances in which they 
were placed, literary men would naturally abstain as far 
as possible from everything like a detailed account of 
so unpopular a topic, and would only take it up when 
unavoidable, and then mostly for the purpose of depre- 
ciation. But the world is to be congratulated that 
their allusions, scanty though they are, occur so inci- 
dentally and unartificially as to furnish the strongest 
confirmation of the Gospel narrative and of the claims 
put forth by the Christian faith. 

I have no doubt but that a parallel to this compara- 
tive reticence is to be met with to-day in every heathen 
nation where Christianity is striving to obtain a foot- 
hold. It is not very likely that the national historians 
of China, of India, and Japan have chronicled at length 
the doings of missionaries, or have felt called on to give 
a circumstantial account of the religion they seek to 
propagate. They may record conflicts that occur 
between the missionaries and the authorities, or out- 


52 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


breaks of a fanatical native population against the in- 
truders, or endeavors of the government to suppress the 
new ideas; but beyond this it is not probable they will 
go, and as far as this went Tacitus, Suetonius, and 
Pliny. Nor is it reasonable to expect much more than 
this from Jewish authorities, who had everything to lose 
by the success of Christianity. Certainly no particular 
testimony ought to be looked for from Philo, as he died 
about the year A. D. 40, and before sufficient time had 
passed for the new faith to have acquired prominence 
sufficient to arouse public interest in any extraor- 
dinary degree. The hesitancy of Josephus, likewise, is 
not difficult to explain. As he had apostatized far 
enough from the faith of his fathers to acknowledge 
Vespasian to be the promised Messiah, he could not be 
expected to see in Jesus of Nazareth the signs and cre- 
dentials of that long-expected personage. There are, 
however, in his works two undisputed passages which 
corroborate events intimately related to our Lord’s life. 
The first describes the preaching of John the Baptist 
and his execution ; and thereafter he mentions the judi- 
cial murder of James the Just, whom he terms “the 
brother of Jesus, called the Christ.” In this way he 
discloses his knowledge of the movement in Judea, 
which had its beginnings in the ministry of this Jesus, 
and indicates that he could not honestly treat either it 
or him as fictions and fabrications. It is to be regretted 
that some cunning hand has clumsily interpolated a 
paragraph, in which Josephus is practically made to 
own his belief in the Messiahship of our Lord and in the 
reality of his resurrection.’ The spurious character of the 


1 “* Antiquities,” 18: 5,2; 20:9,1; aiso 18; 3, 3. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY 53 


text has been fully established, especially those portions 
that concede the vital doctrines in dispute, and the church 
has been foremost in exposing the fraud. It is unrea- 
sonable to suppose that a man like Josephus would 
record as facts events that logically swept from Judaism 
its right to exist as a creed without himself going 
farther and submitting to the new religion. He may 
have known more of the gospel story than he intimates, 
and his reluctance to commit himself may have arisen 
from perplexity or prejudice ; but on either supposition 
he would naturally refrain from saying anything on the 
subject not actually indispensable to the purpose he 
had immediately in view, and that assuredly was never 
to prove the divine origin of Christianity. 

It is also to be borne in mind that the unexpurgated 
editions of the Talmud contain some twenty references 
to Jesus and his followers, and that, while they betray 
intense malevolence, they do not challenge the reality 
of his historic personality nor the chief incidents of his 
public career. Nor should the evidential value of docu- 
ments penned by Christians themselves be overlooked. 
The writings of such confessors as Justin Martyr, Clem- 
ent of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Papias, Quadratus, 
and Irenzeus distinctly mention the various events of 
Christ’s life; and we may in brief gain an idea of how 
they were regarded by a single passage from Quadratus, 
which is quoted from Eusebius : 


The works of our Saviour were always conspicuous, for they 
were real; both they which were healed and they which were 
raised from the dead; who were seen not only when they were 
healed or raised, but for a long time afterward ; not only while 
he dwelt on this earth, but also after his departure, and for a 


54 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


good while after it; insomuch that some of them have reached 
to our tines!—‘! Aecles. fiistovy, | Zin 5 00, Ly D290: 


It can scarcely be imagined that these early wit- 
nesses doubted the historical reality of all they described 
so vividly. They had searched and inquired, and they 
had been convinced that the mission of Christ, with its 
attendant marvels, was no cunningly devised fable. 
And their confidence is deservedly entitled to weight 
on the part of those who are skeptically inclined. They 
had opportunities such as we have not for investigation, 
and their temporal interests, even their life, were more 
directly involved in the result than ours. If a man like 
Quadratus had examined the origins of Christianity 
when he did; that is, in the times of Adrian, A. D. 122, and 
had pronounced against their alleged supernatural and’ 
historical character, and had suffered death on account 
of the conclusions he had reached, he must have been 
certain that he had made no mistakes nor overlooked 
any relevant evidence; and we would attach to his tes- 
timony the very highest importance. But should not 
the testimony of even such a witness be accepted when 
under these identical conditions it is favorable, and not 
averse to the historical claims of Christianity? There 
is no,such instance as we have imagined in the 
opposition; but there were multitudes who during 
the first two centuries of our era surrendered life 
in attestation, not merely of their sincerity in believing, 
but of their certain knowledge that the religion of the 
Cross was grounded in “the infallible proofs” recited 
and recorded in the Gospels. The documents that con- 
tain these confirmations of what apostles wrote ought 
to be cherished highly, and when taken in connection 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY isis 


with the other documents referred to, are eminently 
convincing. There is a cumulative force in these va- 
rious writings when brought together that can scarcely 
be measured by words, and that has never been suc- 
cessfully resisted or broken by the arguments of un- 
belief. 

And this force is very much increased by the sig- 
nificance and meaning of historical monuments. Let 
me explain myself: Memorials of former events are 
not confined to pillars of stone reared by public sub- 
scription and voted by public suffrage. These of course 
have a clearly defined value. The shaft on Bunker 
Hill, the lion hewn out of the rock at Lucerne, the 
group in bronze representing Lincoln freeing the slave, 
the Trafalgar monument in London, and the Bastile 
column in Paris, are formal and unanswerable proofs 
of the American Revolution, the slaughter of the Swiss 
Guards, the emancipation of the Southern Negroes, 
the victory of Nelson, and the end of the French mon- 
archy. But the observance of the Fourth of July, and 
the commemoration of Washington’s birthday, and the 
patriotic celebration in France each year of the down- 
fall of feudalism, are as conclusive in their way as evi- 
dence of the happenings they honor as sculptured 
marble or heroic statue. In the Tower of London there 
is an ancient dungeon on whose walls the prisoners in 
their long leisure inscribed their names, with the date 
of their captivity, and occasionally with some melan- 
choly comment on their sufferings. This silent witness 
is eloquent of a civilization different from our own, and 
is as much a witness to the horrible past as any arch 
or memorial tablet reared by the people. In the same 


56 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


way, Christianity has its monuments in institutions, 
celebrations, and inscriptions that have existed and been 
preserved from apostolic times to the present hour. 
Among these are to be numbered the Lord’s Day, 
Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper; the first solemnly 
affirming the resurrection of Christ; the second adum- 
brating the spiritual quickening of believing souls ; 
the third commemorating the sacrifice made by love for 
a world’s redemption ; and all of them plainly suggesting 
the supernatural in religion. These signs tell their own 
story as unfailingly as though it were legibly written in 
brass on the sugface of a rock; and the fact of their un- 
broken continuity from the beginning of Christianity 
certifies as indisputably to the historical truth of what 
they teach as the arch of Titus in Rome does to the 
success of the imperial arms. But there are also in- 
scriptions as well. 

An illustration of this phase of my subject is fur- 
nished in the desert of Mount Sinai, and is itself 
sufficiently extraordinary to excite our wonder. About 
thirteen and a half centuries ago an Egyptian merchant 
named Cosmas followed the route of the Hebrews as 
they journeyed toward the land of promise, and was sur- 
prised to see at all the halting places inscriptions sculp- 
tured in the rocks. Since his day these characters 
have been observed and studied by Lord Lindsay,’ 
not to mention other scholars equally famous with those 
noted below, and only oneconclusion seems to be possible. 
These inscriptions may be traced from the base of Sinai 
along the way to the eastern shore of the gulf. They are 


1“ Letters on Egypt’’; Dr. Robinson, “ Biblical Researches ’’; Prof. Beer, “ Studia 
Asiatica,’’ and Dr. Richard Lepsius, “‘ Letters from Egypt,’’ p. 359. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY EY) 


cut in the hard rock about twelve to fourteen feet above 
ground, and the work required patience and leisure. 
Their execution demanded skill.and appropriate imple- 
ments. What body of artisans could have come to this 
desert to perform this task, and how could they have 
been supported in so barren a region? No theory ex- 
plains their origin except that which attributes them to 
the Hebrews during their forty years of wandering. 
This supposition is supported by much that has been 
deciphered. In one place there is a rough picture of a 
serpent, with the words “fiery serpents, hissing, inject- 
ing venom, heralds of death.” Another gives the pas- 
sage of the Red Sea; another declares that he who 
prayed on the hard stone was supported by Aaron 
and Hur; and yet others still further corroborate the 
narrative of Moses. Are not these Sinaitic inscrip- 
tions in reality monuments of what transpired in those 
solitudes, and of the acts that led the called of God to 
abandon Egypt? For all these centuries they have 
borne silent witness to the venerable past, and when 
mocking infidels have paraded the alleged “ Mistakes 
of Moses,’ these incorruptible, impassible granite and 
red sandstone peaks have refuted the traducers. 
Carved on the everlasting hills is the story of the 
Exode, and it is impossible to suppose that it would have 
been written there were the story not historical. 

But there is another wilderness, shut out however 
from the light of day, not fashioned by nature’s agony, 
but by human skill, extending under ground along some 
six hundred miles of streets, and supposed to contain 
about seven million graves. I have myself trodden 
these lonely and deserted paths, and have pictured the 


58 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


times before the reign of Constantine, when the 
Roman Christians found in these catacombs a refuge 
from persecution and a sanctuary for worship. Here 
also there are inscriptions, signs, symbols which set 
forth the historic belief of the early church. The 
adoration of the wise men, the baptism of Jesus, the 
Lamb of God, the Good Shepherd, the raising ot 
Lazarus, the walking of Peter on the sea, the anchor, 
the cross, the resurrection, are the constantly recurring 
themes of saintly artists. Expressions of hope are 
recorded on the many tombs, though now and then we 
read words of bitter lamentation, as when a victim of 
the cruelty of Aurelius exclaims: “‘O unhappy times, 
in which amid our sacred rites and prayers—in the 
very caverns—we are not safe!’ 4 Often the word 
“martyr’’ occurs on the stones that have hidden the 
dead for centuries. Andthese martyrs have left behind 
them in memorial words and drawings a confession of 
the faith for which they died, and it is found to agree 
with the narrative contained in the Gospels and with 
what the facts of that narrative inculcate. 

These precious remains of the primitive church like- 
wise furnish a clue to the cause of persecution, which 
converts persecution itself into a monument to the 
truth. Thoughtful students have been puzzled over 
the singular anomaly of a tolerant empire seeking by 
violence to extirpate a’ harmless creed. Why should 
the rulers make an exception of one religion and vent 
its dreadful displeasure on its defenseless professors ? 
Various unsatisfactory answers have been suggested. 
It is certainly not sufficient to say that the holiness or 


1 Maitland’s ‘* Catacombs.” 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY. 59 


the moral conduct of the early Christians aroused the 
antagonism of the emperors. ‘The question at issue was 
not primarily an ethical one. There were in the various 
centers of life, especially in Rome, a numerous company 
of stoics, whose sentiments were of an elevating charac- 
ter, even if they were not so spiritual in every respect 
as those inculcated by the followers of the Galilean. 
But the stoics were not cast to the lions, or wrapt in 
shirts of tar and ignited to illumine the gardens of a 
despicable tyrant. And yet if the church of the first 
two or three centuries was merely as represented by 
some modern unbelievers and rationalists an ethical 
sodalitas, no good reason can be given why its children 
should have been punished, and other moralists have 
been permitted to enjoy their opinions undisturbed. 
There must have been a difference, radical and wide- 
reaching, to account for this discrimination. Pliny, in 
his report to Trajan regarding the Christians of Bi- 
thynia or Pontus, says that he found their faith to be 
nothing more than a “szuperstitio prava immodica” ; 
but that term “sauperstztio’’ doubtless comprehends 
more than is usually supposed. While it may refer to 
the worship of non-Roman deities, as all deities repre- 
sent some distinctive thought, it must have been what 
he understood to be the thought that disposed Pliny’s 
mind unfavorably, and led him to describe it as degrad- 
ing and destructive to the philosophic and obedient life 
of the citizen. He cannot, therefore, have objected to 
the system on the ground of its being ethical, but 
because it was doctrinal, the doctrine in his opinion 
leading to conduct incompatible with Roman citizen- 
ship. What then could this “ saperstztzo”’ have been if 


60 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


not the ideas involved in the marvelous birth, the sac- 
rificial death, and the glorious resurrection of our Lord ? 
Admit this, and to me the conclusion seems inevitable, 
and persecution is adequately explained ‘These ideas 
were strange and uncouth to the Roman mind, as they 
are still to some types of culture, and would provoke 
apprehension and then deadly antagonism. This un- 
questionably was their primary effect on the jealous 
rulers of the land; but the heartless cruelty of em- 
perors and governors is not without advantage to the 
cause of truth in these days of skepticism. It remains 
a pathetic monument to the historical verities of Chris- 
tianity, recording in ineffaceable blood-marks the things 
“most surely believed” by its “noble army of mar- 
tyrs.” Often has it been said that the “blood of the 
martyrs is the seed of the church” ; and yet, as usually 
interpreted, it is only a half truth : for not only does this 
kind of seed multiply itself indefinitely, but it continues 
to reproduce the original flower. The confessors of 
our Lord died on behalf of the evangelical thought 
embodied in the evangelical annals, and they not only 
in this way drew others to Christ, but constrained them 
to profess the very thought and support the annals for 
which they suffered. 

It remains for us to consider the import of historical 
developments. 

In France there is:a magnificent cartoon, by Paul 
Chenavard, representing what may be termed the pal- 
ingenesis of human society. The great picture is 
divided into two horizontal zones. In the upper one 
we have a flaring, noisy, triumphant procession of the 
imperial Czesar. There are lictors, generals, banners, 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY. 61 


spoils, prisoners, elephants, eagles, and indeed every- 
thing to suggest insolent and unchallenged power. But 
the lower zone is pervaded by the feeling of silence, 
obscurity, patience, and suffering. It discloses the 
primitive Christians at prayer in the catacombs, which 
they have dug to serve them both as chapel and grave 
beneath the throne of the emperor. The contrast is 
complete, and like all masterpieces of art, tells its own 
story. It teaches that the pagan civilization of Rome, 
when at the height of its strength and splendor, and 
when entirely oblivious to danger, was being steadily, 
though slowly undermined, and was inevitably doomed 
to give place to a new order born of a new and despised 
creed. It is well known. that the patricians, the phi- 
losophers, and even the plebs of the eternal city, held 
in contempt a religion that had a cross for its altar and 
an alleged malefactor for its hero. But notwithstand- 
ing this supercilious self-confidence, Christianity, weak, 
unattractive, and unostentatious was destined to tri- 
umph and to give to history a new channel and new 
course of development. John Von Miiller, the famous 
Swiss historian, writing on this subject, has left this 
weighty testimony : 


Christ is the key to the history of the world. Not only does 
all harmonize with the mission of Christ ; all is subordinated to 
it. When I saw this it was to me as wonderful and surprising as 
the light which Paul saw on his way to Damascus ; the fulfill- 
ment of all hopes, the completion of philosophy, the key to all 
the apparent contradictions in the physical and moral world ; 
here is life and immortality. I marvel not at miracles ; a far 
greater miracle has been reserved for our times, the spectacle of 
the connection of all human events in the establishment and 
preservation of the doctrine of Christ. 

F 


62 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


And Fichte, the great German philosopher, corrobo- 
rates this statement when he says : 


We and our whole age are so rooted in the soil of Christianity, 
and have sprung from it ; it has exercised its influence in the most 
manifold ways on the whole of our culture, and we should be 
absolutely nothing of all that we are if this mighty principle had 
not preceded us. 


To-day bears on it the imprint of yesterday, and the 
soil of to-morrow will show the footprints of to-day. 
Present time is not independent of time that has past, 
and remains its record and its witness. I can read 
what has been in what is, though I may be unable to 
decipher in what now exists the certain prophecy of 
what shall be in the future. If any doubt existed as 
to the fact of the American Revolution, it could easily 
be removed by showing that the evidences of this great 
occurrence are inwrought in our literature, in our songs 
and music, in our institutions, and the entire character 
of our civilization. We would not be as we areas a 
nation had it not been for that glorious assertion of 
independence; and the entire trend of things among 
us, but for that mighty movement, would be involved 
in inexplicable obscurity. The Renatssance in Europe 
is demonstrated historically by the art galleries, by the 
art schools, by the art theories, by our zsthetical phi- 
losophy, and our peculiar type of culture, which can 
easily be traced to the influence of the Medici and to 
the period of 1453. Were some skeptically minded 
individual to assert that Lorenzo De’ Medici was not 
born in 1448, did not restore the academy of Pisa, did 
not found a new one at Florence, and did not collect 
vast treasures of literature and art, and that the story 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY. 63 


of his career and his magnificence was only a myth, a 
fable of the Middle Ages, there would confront him 
the unanswerable logic of this princely merchant's 
gorgeous tomb, the biographies of this enlightened 
man in circulation, and more than all, the art-world of 
to-day, which is but a development of his wise fore- 
sight and generous appreciation of the beautiful. Seri- 
ous people would not waste a moment on so absurd a 
supposition as this myth-hypothesis, and would be apt 
to think its author a fit subject for examination in our 
lunacy courts. And there is just as little reason for 
supposing that the gospel narrative is romance or 
fable. Phantom founders of illusive schools and the 
phantasm of a trader establishing imaginary galleries 
of shadowy pictures can never satisfactorily account 
for substantial works in bronze, marble, or in colors; 
and neither can visions, dreams, idle fancies, or base- 
less hallucinations, grown phrenetical, even though as 
an afterthought of some century later, be invested 
with the appearance of history, or adequately ex- 
plain the changes wrought in the ideals, aims, morals, 
and conceptions of mankind by the Christianity of 
the first hundred years of its existence, and still pre- 
served and manifested in the civilization of to-day. 
Modern society may be likened to a palimpsest on 
which may be discovered beneath the superficial writ- 
ing of recent inventions and discoveries and the latest 
novelties in fashion and literature, an older and more 
enduring writing of the facts and verities that make up 
the sum of gospel history. 

When our Lord entered on his ministry, Roman so- 
ciety throughout the empire was aiming at unification and 


64 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


solidification. It had been rent by the civil wars, and 
the extent of its conquests over distant lands had pre- 
vented anything like complete fusion and obliteration 
of race distinctions and animosities. The State was 
recognized, as it had been formerly in Greece, as being 
practically omnipotent, and individual citizens had not 
a clear sense of God-given rights to uphold. No single 
citizen was for a moment to be considered, or his per- 
son to be regarded as sacred, in opposition to the 
supreme will of the community. Tiberius Gracchus 
had indeed contended that each Roman was entitled 
to a position of decent comfort and to benefit in some 
measure by the wealth and prosperity of the entire 
commonwealth. Likewise there had been vague hopes 
expressed of universal citizenship and universal equality, 
perhaps centering in a universal religion. But up to 
the beginning of the Christian era the plea of Tiberius 
had only led to material relief, mainly in the form of 
imperial donations, while the ideas of universal citizen- 
ship and universal equality had never gone beyond 
certain privileges and exemptions limited to a compara- 
tively meagre, though constantly enlarging, class. And 
alas, for the religion! The Roman cult consisted in 
tolerating the gods of subject nations and in exalting 
over them the head of the government. 

The emperor represented the majesty, the wisdom, and the 
beneficent power of Rome; he was in many cases actually 
represented in different parts of the empire as an incarnation 
of the God worshiped in that district: the Zeus Larasios of 
Tralles, Min of Juliopolis, the Zeus Olympios of the Greeks in 
general. Even when this final step was not taken, the imperial 


cultus was, in the Asian provinces generally, organized as the 
highest and most authoritative religion, and the emperor was 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY 65 


named along with and before the special deity of the district, — 
Ramsay, Church in the Roman Limpire, p. ror. 

Thus the whole movement of the times, with all 
the force of a mighty impetuous river, set in the direc- 
tion of absolutism, and of absolutism the most awful, 
consisting of human frailty and passion arrogating the 
tremendous prerogatives of the Deity. As the natural 
outgrowth of such a system, deified emperors grew 
worse and worse and the abject people became increas- 
ingly subservient and superstitious. In what social 
pandemonium this overwhelming tide of oppression 
and degradation would have ended we do not know, 
though we may guess. Its sweep and rush were ar- 
rested by Christianity, which though itself nearly over- 
whelmed by the desolating flood, succeeded in turning 
the stream of history into a very different channel. 

Mommsen has shown that it was only through the 
influence of the new faith that the downward trend of 
the empire was stayed, and only by the emperors sub- 
mitting in person to its authority that their throne was 
preserved to them as long as it was from the assaults 
of barbarian enemies. Christianity exalted the majesty 
of the spiritual over the temporal, Christ over Cassar, 
and the sanctity, dignity, and independence of the indi. 
vidual conscience over the mandates of society. It 
likewise brought with it ideals of the most striking 
originality, such as the fatherhood of God, by which 
was guaranteed to the lowliest and poorest the Divine 
sympathy and care; and the brotherhood of man, which 
carried with it the doom of chattel slavery and the final 
emancipation and complete equality of woman. Sub- 
sequent history has been in all essentials the working 


66 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


out in social forms, institutions, and human relations 
of these great thoughts. Inthe formation of the Cath- 
olic church there were manifest efforts to realize them 
through ecclesiastical organizations ; and even to-day 
that church stands for the right of the spiritual 
prince to rule over temporal and earthly authorities. 
Protestants did not separate from Catholics on the 
ground that this principle is in itself erroneous, but be- 
cause in its application the Romanists had delegated this 
right to a human potentate, called a pope, and had pre- 
sumed to take it from the only being who can exercise 
it—the Lord Jesus Christ. But whatever mistakes 
have been committed, the course of the Christian cen- 
turies has run in the direction of the new ideals pro- 
claimed by the Prophet of Nazareth and his immediate 
followers. These explain the conflict between bishops 
and emperors during the fourth and fifth centuries ; 
the assumptions of the papacy in the sixth; the spirit 
of the crusades in the eleventh and twelfth ; the rise and 
progress of the Reformation in the sixteenth; the par- 
liamentary conflicts and Commonwealth of the seven- 
teenth; the American and French revolutions of the 
eighteenth, with the reforms, emancipations, and noble 
benefactions of the nineteenth. All these great events, 
and others that need not be enumerated, have made for 
the recognition of the spiritual as the supreme author- 
ity in life, and of the Lord Christ as its brightest ex- 
pression and chief embodiment, and have contributed 
to the final realization of universal citizenship, universal 
equality, and universal religion. Thus to-day we find 
the imprint of yesterday in social conditions and social 
ambitions, and as we journey back through all the in- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY 67 


tervening ages, we continue to find the same imprint, 
the sacred footmarks of him “who went about doing 
good.” 

I'am not arguing the divine origin of Christianity 
from the character of this development. It may or it 
may not be the best conceivable. On that point for 
the sake of clearness I do not in this connection express 
myself. My contention simply is that this development 
is undeniably vea/, not that it is necessarily the dest, 
and that, being real, it can only be accounted for by 
the facts of gospel history. To suppose that so re- 
markable and radical a deviation from ancient pagan 
civilization was brought about by legends, myths, and 
poetic idyls is to assume that the people of those times 
were incomprehensibly different from ourselves; for 
how few among us would abandon the dominant faith 
and the institutions of our age, because of charming 
rumors regarding a harmless youth of beautiful moral 
character. Nor can we imagine that it was either the 
theism or the ethics of our Lord that wrought so sur- 
prisingly ; for in the fourth century, as Mommsen has 
shown, the endeavor to make Christianity merely an 
abstract monotheism signally failed, proving that it had 
always been something more than that, and that its 
convincing power lay in something else. What then 
was the secret of its success if not the conviction that 
Christ had lived, suffered, died, and risen again as de- 
scribed by the evangelists? There is no other intelli- 
gible answer that I know of; and this being accepted, 
it follows that Christianity rests on history, and is an 
expression itself of the history, which in the last analysis 
amounts to a supernatural attestation of its divine origin. 


68 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


This line of argument recalls some fine passages 
from the writings of Chrysostom, which being uttered 
during the latter half of the fourth century and assum- 
ing as undeniable facts the representations of the Gos- 
pels, may well be quoted in confirmation of the conclu- 
sion we have reached. 

When the Emperor Julian, animated by devotion to 
heathenism, endeavored in the year A. D. 362 to re- 
establish the worship of the Daphnean Apollo, he had 
the bones of the martyr Babylas removed, since to their 
vicinage the priests attributed the ruin into which the 
shrine of their God had fallen. But all in vain was his 
superstitious zeal. The restored temple of Apollo was 
shortly after burned to the ground, and the calamity 
was considered by many Christians as a Divine visita- 
tion. These events which interested the Antiochians 
yet more than ever in their famous martyr, led Chrysos- 
tom to make him the subject of a treatise. In this 
work we have the following striking sentences : 


Should even thousands seek to extinguish it (a cause good and 
true), not only will it not be extinguished, but dividing the vain 
strife and rage of its foes, it will rise more glorious and sublime 
through the very efforts of those who attempt its destruction ; for 
our religion, which ye call a fable, kings and emperors, unvan- 
quished orators, philosophers, and evil spirits have sought to 
destroy, and their attacks have been as the darts of children. 
The writings of ingenious philosophers and eloquent rhetoricians 
against Christianity have for the most part perished in their birth, 
or if any of them yet remain, they have been preserved by the 
Christians themselves.—Zzd. de Sanct. Babyl., Tom. I1., f. 546. 


And in another place, dwelling on the divine origin 
of Christianity, he says: 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY 69 


For nothing is more powerful among men than the tyranny of 
ancient custom. . . Naught so greatly disturbeth the soul as the 
introduction of that which is new and strange, were it even for 
the advancement of good, and especially when it relateth to the 
worship and glory of God. It might have been supposed that 
the various catechumens would have said: What meaneth this? 
Have the inhabitants of the whole earth been deceived ? Sophists 
and rhetoricians, philosophers and historians of times both past 
and present; Pythagoras and Plato, leaders, consuls, and em- 
perors? And are twelve men—fishermen, tentmakers, and pub- 
licans wiser than all these? 


He replies to these interrogatories by reciting the 
facts of the gospel, and then anticipating the objection 
that neither Jesus nor his followers wrought miracles, 
he continues : 

But should our adversary deny miracles, still more will he 
enhance their (the apostles’) power and the efficacy of divine 
grace, if indeed without miracles they converted so great a por- 
tion of the earth to godliness. Do ye desire, yourselves, even 
in your own days, to behold miracles? I will show you a mira- 
cle greater than any wrought before—not merely one dead man 
raised to life, not merely one blind man restored to sight; but 
so many nations scraping off the leprosy of sin, and cleansed by 
the washing of regeneration.—//om. in 1 Cor. 7, and Hom. in 
Princip. Actor 4. 


Thus then the great preacher of Antioch, standing 
within three hundred years of the apostolic era, and at 
a time when erroneous statements could easily be ex- 
posed, confidently assumes the historical credibility of 
Christianity. Already had the myth or fable theory 
been put in circulation, and he overwhelms it with 
the floods of his logical eloquence. He shows how 
next to impossible the conquest of preconceptions and 
prejudices, and how the rapid spread of Christianity in 


7O THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the face of such antagonisms was unanswerable evidence 
of its celestial origin. Quite unmindful is he of the wrath 
of philosophers, sophists, and rhetoricians, assured that 
clearly authenticated fact has nothing to fear from base- 
less though beautiful theory. If we may believe him, 
our religion is not a speculation, nor a poem of sweet 
sentiments cast in the form of a parable. It is actual 
history; and to efface it the history of now nearly 
twenty centuries would likewise have to be obliterated. 
It is like the sub-soil of a mighty forest; the ground 
cannot be turned up and ploughed without destroying 
the forest; and it may be compared to the cement and 
the keystone that hold together the solid masonry of a 
bridge over which unnumbered generations have safely 
traveled, and which cannot be removed without involv- 
ing the whole structure in disastrous ruin. God, in thus 
providing for the perpetual security of the faith against 
the repeated assaults of frenzied adversaries, has also 
assured mankind that by the same method shall its in- 
terests in the future be promoted. As it is grounded 
in past history, so shall contemporary and future history 
make for its establishment in the earth. How large 
and inviting a field does this belief open before us! 
But we must not venture to explore it now. The argu- 
ment of this chapter stands complete in what has been, 
and needs not what is to be as an addition to its 
strength and conclusiveness. But we who are follow- 
ers of the blessed Christ may comfort our hearts with 
this confidence, though we may not be warranted in 
converting it into a formal argument for the conviction 
of others. We may rejoice, that as in the ages gone hu- 
man affairs, through an over-ruling Providence, have been 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY 71 


tributary to the proof, protection, and propagation of 
Christianity, so shall they be in the generations to come. 
Superficially viewed, the movements and transactions 
of men and nations have not always been favorable to 
religion, and were we to judge entirely by sight we 
might be tempted to doubt the Divine presence in hu- 
man history. But as we look backward and compre- 
hensively grasp all that has fallen out, both of good and 
bad, and observe their bearing and results, we are con- 
strained to recognize a guiding intelligence that is not 
of earth and a benevolence that has never failed to bring 
light out of darkness. Why then should we, who have 
been thus taught, falter in our faith or yield to the dis- 
may of doubt? Though we see him not, we have suf- 
ficient reason for trust ; and though error may for the 
time being seem to prevail against truth, and the hearts 
of his children fail them for fear, unless the centuries 
have lied to us he will yet remember the kingdom 
of his dear Son, will enlarge its borders, establish its 
authority, and bring forth its righteousness as the noon- 
day. 
Careless seems the Great Avenger: History’s pages but record 
One death-struggle in the darkness ’twixt false systems and the 
Word ; 
Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne ; 


But that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown 
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own. 


CHAPTER SLE 
THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST. 


[Began miracles were to be a constant factor in 
human history, instead of an exceptional inter- 
position in necessary connection with the creation of the 
race, with its redemption and judgment, destroying all 
confidence in orderly sequences, and in the ordinary 
reign of law throughout the universe; and unless only 
very wise and learned people were to be capable of 
verifying Christianity, there must have been provision 
made for a method of proof available to persons of 
common intelligence. I am sure, while there are some 
lines of argument of perhaps an abstruse character, 
there are others that can readily be compassed by the 
comparatively illiterate. To this class pre-eminently 
belongs the one I venture to call “The Argument 
from Christ.” This undertakes to present a moral 
dergonstration requiring no high degree of mental dis- 
cipline to comprehend, no extensive acquaintance with 
ancient lore to understand, and no familiarity with the 
tortuous labyrinths of logic to weigh or measure. It 
affirms that Jesus was in himself the very incarnation 
of the faith he proclaimed, that he grounded it in the 
authority of his own immaculate character, and testified 
to the divinity of its origin; and it concludes, these 
things being true and he being what the Gospels 
declare and the world generally admits, then it must 
iz 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 73 


follow that Christianity proceeded from God, and is 
worthy of all acceptation. 

It is well known that the New Testament represents 
the disciples of our Lord as “living epistles seen and 
read of all men,” and that apparently more importance 
is attached to their exemplification of religion than to 
the parchment documents wherein its teachings are 
recorded. Unquestionably the conduct of primitive 
believers had as much to do, if not more, with the 
early and decisive triumphs of the cross than all the 
apostolic literature in circulation. The world could 
read them, even when it could not decipher manu- 
scripts. They professed to have been supernaturally 
begotten to spiritual life, to have been saved by a 
vicarious sacrifice, and to have been delivered from 
bondage to sense and sin. How easy then to judge 
their claims by what they were themselves! The can- 
did seeker after truth had only to study their character 
to see whether they could be really accounted for by 
purely naturalistic causes, whether they also were in 
vicarious sacrifice, and whether they were emancipated 
from the flesh. If not, then they had falsified their 
pretensions, and had brought grave doubt and discredit 
on the religion they proclaimed. The principle holds 
good to-day. Were Christians in our times the exact 
counterpart of the gospel ideal, were they the living 
reproduction of the sermon on the mount, and were 
they imbued with something of our Lord’s passion for 
souls, further evidence would be superfluous. One 
consecrated consistent church has more convincing 
power in it than a library of apologetics. ‘‘ Whose 
preaching was it that led to your conversion?” was 


G 


74 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


asked of one who had just come into the kingdom. 
The answer was significant: «My conversion was not 
due to the preaching of any one, but to the practicing 
of my old mother.” 

By a process similar to this, only more comprehen- 
sive and complete, our Saviour has become the clearest 
and perhaps the most conclusive proof of the Chris- 
tian religion. Mr. Froude, referring to Nero, who was 
Pontifex Maximus, and who was considered by his 
sycophants as a presens divus, says: ‘“ But Nero was 
his own God and maker of gods, and belief in God 
became impossible when Nero was regarded as a per- 
sonation of him. In medals and in public instruments 
he solemnly assumed the name of Jupiter. He too 
had his temples and his priests.” All this seems 
inconceivable, and yet beyond cavil the infamous repre- 
sentation stands authenticated. As the wretched 
emperor embodied in his character and conduct the 
worst features of paganism, and effectually undermined 
what remained in his time of its authority by his 
unbridled passions ; so, on the other hand, and in glori- 
ous contrast, our blessed Master revealed in himself all 
the higher excellencies, with all the gracious mysteries 
and moralities of the Christian faith, and substantiated 
its truth by his unparalleled spiritual exaltation, and his 
unapproachable rectitude. This close and undeniable 
connection between Jesus and the religion he founded 
was perceived by Dr. Baur, chief of the Tiibingen 
school, and constrained him to acknowledge that the 
whole world-historical significance of Christianity hangs 
on the person of Jesus ; and Strauss, realizing the same 
thing, has penned the following suggestive sentences : 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 75 


It may perhaps surprise us that the debate as to the truth of 
Christianity has at last narrowed itself into one as to the person- 
ality of its founder, that the decisive battle of Christian theology 
should take place on the field of Christ's life ; but in reality this 
is but what might have been expected. The value of a scientific 
or artistic production in no way depends on our acquaintance 
with the private life of him who produced it. . . In the domain 
of religious history it is indeed of importance to assure ourselves 
that Moses and Mohammed were no impostors; but in other 
respects the religions established by them must be judged accord- 
ing to their own deserts, irrespective of the greater or less accu- 
racy of our acquaintance with their founders’ lives. The reason 
is obvious. They are only the founders, not at the same time 
the objects of the religions they instituted. . . Thisis notoriously 
otherwise with Christianity. Here the founder is at the same 
time the most prominent object of worship; the system based 
upon him loses its support as soon as he is shown to be lacking 
in qualities appropriate to an object of religious worship.— 7%e 
Oid Faith and The New, pp. 53, 54. 


According to this statement, if it can be shown that 
our Lord is deserving credence and implicit confidence, 
and if it can be proven that he isa being worthy of 
worship, and, I will add, entitled to be worshiped, 
then it follows that “the system based on him” has not 
“lost its support,” but is as firmly established as the 
everlasting throne of God. This in brief is what is 
meant by THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST; but that it 
may be the better understood, and that it may make an 
adequate impression on mind and heart, it will be 
advisable to contemplate Christ— 

First, As a Religious Founder. 

SECONDLY, As a Religious Figure. 

THIRDLY, As a Religious Force, 

He whom we revere as the “ Author of our Faith” 


76 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


is called “The True Witness”; he likewise solemnly 
assured Pilate that he was born to bear witness to the 
truth; and he even goes so far as majestically to 
assume himself to be the very truth itself. No one 
questions his right to be regarded as the real source 
of the religion that bears his name; and it would be a 
very hard task indeed for any one to cast the shadow 
of a doubt on the meaning of his language when he 
ascribes its beginnings to our Heavenly Father’s inspi- 
ration. If he did not intend to affirm the supernatural 
origin of the kingdom he came to establish, and over 
which he was to reign forever, then his speech was 
thoroughly ambiguous and misleading, and not a soul, 
even to this day, can be sure of correctly interpreting 
any of his utterances. As it is inconceivable that he 
should have employed words to conceal thought, he 
must be accepted as teaching that he himself was 
divinely sent, and that that which came with him, that 
permanent spiritual ministry that grew out of and was 
projected from his own saving mission, was likewise 
divinely given and endued with divine authority ever- 


more. 
é 
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, 
and testify that we have seen ; and ye receive not our witness. 
If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall 
ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things. And no man hath 
ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, 
even the Son of man which is in heaven. . . For God sent not 
his Son into the world to condemn the world ; but that the world 
through him might be saved.—/ohn 3} - 11-17. 


Can we trust him? Is heentitledto credence? He 
stands before the ages as a witness in the most 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 77 


momentous controversy that ever agitated and exalted 
the human mind. Were he in an ordinary court sup- 
porting an ordinary case at law his mental soundness 
and moral worth would be subject to careful scrutiny ; 
how much more then ought his ability and trustworthi- 
ness to be vindicated beyond suspicion when testifying 
on a subject involving the immortal interests and 
destiny of mankind! Again therefore, I ask, and 
every person is warranted in asking: Is he deserving of 
implicit confidence ? 

In answering this question, it is to be remembered 
that as the cause on whose behalf he is called to appear 
is exceptionally important and extraordinary, we have 
a right to demand something more than the word of a 
commonplace man of commonplace integrity. He 
must himself be in every respect as remarkable as that 
for which he speaks. Such a one was Jesus of Naza- 
reth. Make the conditions of reliability as severe as 
possible, the criteria of qualifications as exacting and 
rigid as can be devised, and it will be found that he 
more than meets all requirements. According to the 
portraits drawn in the Gospels, eliminating even all 
that is there related of his miraculous power, he was 
wonderfully gifted and pure. Considered merely as a 
creature, he was the most exalted creature that ever 
trod the earth, endowed with a comprehensive and 
penetrating mind, a sympathetic and loving heart, and 
an unclouded and sensitive conscience. Ever calm 
and unimpassioned, he was not one to be self-deceived ; 
ever disinterested and thoughtful of others, he was 
incapable of imposture; and ever reverent and prayer- 
ful, he was not likely to pretend to be the voice of God 


78 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


unless God did indeed articulate his gracious thought 
through him. Moreover, he himself realized the con- 
nection between personal worth and the credibility of 
testimony. He is reported to have asked: ‘ Which 
of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, 
why do ye not believe me?” Inthese words, claiming 
sinlessness, he lays down the principle that personal 
righteousness is pledge and guarantee for the trust- 
worthiness of personal statements. Pilate confessed 
that he discovered no fault in him, and his bitterest 
enemies could not successfully impugn his blameless- 
ness. Why then should we hesitate to accept what he 
affirms? If the suspicion is entertained that his dis- 
ciples have over-colored the pictures they have painted, 
let an appeal be taken to the tribunal of philosophers, 
scholars, skeptics, who cannot be suspected of any 
particular bias in his favor, and who are conversant 
with the facts on which a candid opinion must be 
founded. Such an appeal will convince the most 
incredulous that his merits have not been exaggerated 
by the enthusiasm of love, and that every sentence 
falling from his sacred lips is entitled to the homage of 
assent. 

Schleiermacher describes Jesus as being so wonder- 
fully fashioned that religious life is and must remain 
dependent on him; and adds that we ought always to 
keep him present in our minds and should recall him 
when we meet for worship. Strauss, the rationalist, 
declares “that he is the highest object we can possibly 
imagine with respect to religion, the Being without 
whose presence in the mind perfect piety is impossible.” 
He likewise admits that in his all but perfect life, 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 79 


Christ stood alone and unapproached in history. But 
if history has not produced his parallel, it is surely not 
too much to claim that his testimony is also unparal- 
leled in dignity and value. This conviction becomes 
well-nigh irresistible as we observe the amazing effects 
his personality has produced on those eminent men 
who have no sympathy with the idea of his deityship. 
Kant professed to see in him ideal perfection, and re- 
buked Vorowski for daring to associate the name of a 
poor bungler like himself, trying his best to interpret 
Christ, with that of Christ (“Life of Kant,” p. 86). 
Spinoza regarded him as the truest symbol of heavenly 
wisdom ; Hegel recognized in him the union of the hu- 
man and divine; and even Voltaire, while snarling his 
unseemly sneers, acknowledged his moral grandeur and 
beauty. Omitting the more familiar portions of Rous- 
seau’s tribute, we cannot fail to be arrested by the pas- 
sage: “ When Plato describes his imaginary righteous 
man, loaded with all the punishments of guilt yet merit- 
ing the highest rewards of virtue, he exactly describes 
the character of Jesus Christ.” Thomas Chubb, a cel- 
ebrated English deist, speaks of him in these clear 
terms of eulogy: “In him we have an example of a 
quiet and peaceable spirit, of a becoming modesty and 
sobriety, just, honest, upright, sincere, and, above all, 
of a most gracious and benevolent temper and behavior ; 
one who did no wrong, no injury to any man; in whose 
mouth was no guile, who went about doing good.” 
Napoleon was sufficiently clear-sighted to perceive all 
this, and hence is reported to have said in his own de- 
cisive way: “Between him and whoever else in the 
world there is no possible term of comparison.” “In 


8O THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


every existence but that of Christ, how many imperfec- 
tions!”’ Mr. Gregg, an English writer of note, and 
one who has practically nothing in common with ortho- 
doxy, makes this avowal: ‘(In reading his sayings we 
feel that we are holding converse with the wisest, 
purest, noblest being that ever clothed thought in the 
poor language of humanity. In studying his life, we 
feel that we are following the footsteps of the highest 
ideal yet presented to us on earth.”’ Theodore Parker 
admits that Jesus “unites in himself the sublimest pre- 
cepts and divinest practices, thus more than realizing 
the dream of prophet and sage, rises free from all pre- 
judices of his age, nation, or sect, gives free range to 
the Spirit of God in his breast, puts away the doctors 
of the law, subtle, learned, irrefragable, and pours out 
a doctrine beautiful as the light, sublime as heaven, and 
as true as God.” John Stuart Mill, whom no one will 
suspect of sentimental partiality, confirms these strik- 
ing testimonies: “ About the life and sayings of Jesus 
there is a stamp of personal originality combined with 
profundity of insight, which, if we abandon the idle ex- 
pectation of finding scientific precision when something 
very different was aimed at, must place the prophet of 
Nazareth, even in the estimation of those who have no 
belief in his inspiration, in the very first rank of the 
men of sublime genius of whom our species can boast.” 
He affirms that he was the greatest moral reformer and 
martyr of history. Even Thomas Paine concedes that 
the morality he “preached and practised was of the 
most benevolent kind ”’ ; and Charles Sumner, in a letter 
to a friend, thus expresses his appreciation of his won- 
drous excellence: “I believe that Christ lived when and 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST SI 


as the gospel says ; that he was more than man, namely, 
above all men who had as yet lived, and yet less than 
God; I pray you not to believe that I am insensible to 
the goodness and greatness of his character. My idea 
of human nature is exalted when I think that such a 
being lived and went as man among us.” * 

Such tributes as these could be indefinitely multi- 
plied ; for the consensus of the world’s deepest and 
most brilliant thinkers is altogether favorable to the 
loftiest conception that can be formed of his manhood. 
But to employ a passage originally used in very differ- 
ent circumstances: ‘What need we of further wit- 
nesses?” They to whom we have listened on this new 
trial of our gracious Master, have surely spoken with 
sufficient distinctness and emphasis to convince us of 
his moral right to compel belief. If, as Fichte predicts, 
“till the end of time, all the sensible will bow  be- 
fore this Jesus of Nazareth, and all will humbly acknowl- 
edge the exceeding glory of this great phenomenon,” 
how can “we turn away from him that speaketh from 
heaven”’ without outraging our own intelligence? It 
is this being who affirms the divine origin of Christian- 
ity. Solemnly before the world, and in the presence of 
an eternity whose awful mysteries seemed ever to in- 
spire him, he deliberately and as impressively as though 
on oath, announced that the kingdom of God had come 
to the people on earth. How can we with any degree 
of reason question the credibility of his testimony? It 
would be pronounced flawless and adequate by the 


1On this entire section, consult ‘‘ The Person of Christ,’? by Dr. Phili> Schaff; 
‘* What Noted Men Think of Christ,’’ by Prof. Townsend; and Luthardt’s ‘‘ Notes 
on Jesus Christ.” 


82 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


highest legal authorities and by the most competent 
judges of evidence, were it offered on behalf of any 
other cause than that of religion. Have we any right 
to set it aside simply because the interest it is invoked 
to serve is spiritual and not secular? The assumed 
freedom to discriminate according to the waywardness 
of prejudice or fancy, the mind determining the truth 
or falsity of an issue in debate by the nature of the 
subject and not by the nature of the proof, encourages 
a skepticism more widespread and destructive than 
ever yet has prevailed, and a skepticism that would 
sweep away the foundations of all knowledge as well as 
the foundations of the church. What is there so attrac- 
tive and fascinating in doubt that it must be cherished 
at the expense of reason and logic? In some quarters 
it seems to have acquired the significance of a religious 
cult on whose altar common sense is daily sacrificed. 
At times it appears to arrogate a kind of papal infalli- 
bility, and imagines that intelligence should bow to its 
mere negation ;* and that, failing in this, it deserves to be 
ridiculed out of the circle of “advanced thought” as 
an incorrigible heretic. These absurd pretensions, this 
haughty disdain of legitimate evidence, this cruel, super- 
cilious scorn of what has carried conviction to multi- 
tudes of minds and comfort to numberless hearts, can 
never succeed in breaking down our Lord’s trustworthi- 
ness, , 

Napoleon said “that the distance between Christian- 
ity and other religions is the distance of infinity’; and 
it is also true that the distance between the first wit- 
ness to its supernatural origin and the witnesses against 
it is the distance of infinity. Who among its adver- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 83 


saries as veracious, unprejudiced, impartial, and disin- 
terested as he, and who among them as gifted with 
genius and discernment? What are your professed 
logicians, deceiving themselves with a play on words; 
your rationalists, measuring the universal possible by 
local experience and observation ; and your romancers, 
confusing and stupefying the judgment by a dexterous 
appeal to the sensibilities; in comparison with Him 
“‘who spake as never man spake,” whose every state- 
ment was an argument, and whose life was a demonstra- 
tion? The woman at the well of Samaria heard the 
voice of Jesus, and hastened to communicate the mes- 
sage she had received to the citizens of her town. But 
after they had conversed with him they exclaimed: 
“Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we 
have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed 
the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” And equally 
potent is his testimony to-day and equally convincing. It 
has even become stronger with the course of time as it 
has been sifted, tested, tried alike by friend and foe, 
and to the candid inquirer he must ever remain “The 
Amen, the faithful and true Witness,” whose word is 
as unanswerable as it is imperishable. 

I say, the acknowledgment of God in Christ 

Accepted by thy reason, solves for thee 

All questions in the earth and out of it, 

And has so far advanced thee to be wise. 

Wouldst thou unprove this to reprove the proved ? 

In life’s mere minute, with power to use that proof, 

Leave knowledge and revert to how it sprung? 

Thou hast it; use it and forthwith, or die! 


For I say, this is death and the sole death, 
When a man’s loss comes to him from his gain— 


84 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Darkness from light, from knowledge ignorance, 
And lack of love from love made manifest ; 

A lamp’s death when, replete with oil, it chokes ; 

A stomach’s when, surcharged with food, it starves, 


An impression has prevailed throughout all ages that 
a supernatural faith should be verified, not exclusively 
by verbal testimony, but by a supernatural deed.. And 
in our day, while many affect to scorn the evidence of 
miracles, they are still reluctant to yield to the force 
of what may be termed commonplace proof. Even they 
crave some token beyond the power of unaided-human 
agency to produce. On this topic I shall have more to 
say in a subsequent chapter; but in this connection it 
assumes a significance demanding serious thought, and 
its postponement entirely to future consideration would 
be inexpedient if not absolutely inexcusable. 

Thus far we have contemplated Christ only as a 
Religious Founder uttering his testimony, and not as a 
Religious Figure, excepting of course the incidental 
tributes to his character for the purpose of showing his 
competency to speak authoritatively on the subject of 
his mission. But it is of the first moment that we try 
to gain some idea of his proportions as the most sacred 
and heroic personage in history. By this process we shall _ 
be brought face to face with the miraculous in Chris 
tianity. Without passing judgment on other miracles 
alleged to have been wrought, it will be seen from the 
impossibility of accounting for Jesus, for his disclosures 
and designs, for his pretensions and perfection, on 
merely naturalistic principles, that he himself is a mira- 
cle, a miracle sufficiently stupendous to permanently 
discredit the sagacity of unbelief. As such it is to be 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 85 


observed that he comprehends in himself every distinct 
supernatural aspect of the religion he established. His 
wonderful existence is not an arbitrary proof, intro- 
duced in support of what he taught but having no nec- 
essary relation to it, and as suitable to the needs of any 
other faith as to his own. For instance, could he have 
' preached Mohammedanism, his life would have failed to 
demonstrate its certainty ; indeed, would have demon- 
strated its impossibility. Christianity claims to be the 
disclosure of God, the habitation and dwelling of God, 
and the’ sphere of his perpetual Operations. Its cre- 
dentials ought to correspond to its character, ought to 
bear some discernible and appreciable relationship to 
its content. And this is manifestly true in the case of 
Jesus. He is the embodiment and complete fulfillment 
of what he proclaimed and of what has been transmitted 
down the centuries. When we see him, we see Chris- 
tianity. From him we could not reason up to any 
other kind of religion; from him we are compelled to 
expect just what his religion is represented as being ; 
and hence it follows, with all the concise conclusiveness 
of an enthymeme, that if he in his person is essentially 
a miracle the religion he founded is miraculous as well. 

Mr. Froude has more than one reference to Julius 
Czesar and Jesus Christ, placing them in strange juxta- 
position and suggesting very salutary reflections. He 
says that the great Imperator “came into the world at 
a special time and for a special object.” 


A new life, he explains, was about to dawn for mankind. 
Poetry and faith and devotion were to spring again out of the 
seeds which were sleeping in the heart of humanity. But the 
life which is to endure grows slowly ; and the soil must be pre-. 

H 


86 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


pared before the wheat can be sown; so, before the kingdom of 
God could throw up its shoots, there was needed a kingdom of 
this world, where the nations were neither torn in pieces by 
violence, nor were rushing after false ideals and spurious 
ambitions. Such a kingdom was the empire of the Casars.— 
Julius Cesar. 


And then, in another work, having traced the failure 
of this very civilization and having exposed the mon- 
strous endeavors to deify the poor and often contempt- 
ible ruler, he concludes: 


In the most despised of the Roman provinces, among groups 
of peasants and fishermen, on the shores of a Galilean lake, 
. in that remote and humble region, a new life had begun 
for mankind. They had looked for a union of God with man. 
They thought they had found it in Cesar. Divided from Cesar 
by the whole diameter of society, they found it at last in the 
Carpenter of Nazareth. The kingdom of Cesar was a kingdom 
over the world; the kingdom of Christ was a kingdom in the 
heart of man.—/ulius Cesar. 


But how came a mechanic, in an out-of-the-way town 
and in uncouth surroundings, to originate such a 
thought, and how came he with the poor earthly means 
at his disposal to actualize it in the thought and lives 
of others? The latest political science has conceived 
of nothing higher, and of nothing more fundamental to 
any government, than the principle on which his empire 
rests. ,It has been said, and said truly : “ A State which 
can endure must be composed of members who all in 
their way understand what duty means and endeavor 
to do it. Duty implies genuine belief in some sovereign 
spiritual power. Spiritual regeneration comes first, 
moral after it, political and social last. To reverse the 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 87 


order is to plant a flower which has been cut from its 
natural stem, which can bloom but for a day and die.” 
Such a flower was the system of the Czesars, and even 
some modern governments have no adequate apprecia- 
tion of roots ; but the humble carpenter of Galilee real- 
ized, that while a house can be built from without, a 
tree can only develop from within. Who taught him 
this wisdom? The mighty rulers, crowned chiefs, like 
Augustus, knew nothing of it, and it is difficult to fancy 
his conception to be the fortuitous guess of a mere man. 
Here is one born in an obscure nook of the world, be- 
holding on every hand the signs of force, and learning 
from every available indication that the science of pub- 
lic order is the science of repression, thrusting from 
him the political wisdom of antiquity, upturning its most 
cherished maxims, and then creating an empire whose 
splendor and stability have put to shame the grandeur 
and endurance of earthly monarchies. If the career 
of Julius Cesar has excited the amazement of centuries, 
what shall we say of the career of Jesus Christ? If 
the former was “the foremost man of all the world,” 
how shall we measure the superior greatness of the 
latter? Napoleon was impressed by this contrast and 
exclaimed : 

Alexander, Czsar, Charlemagne, and myself all founded 
empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? 
Upon sheer force. Jesus Christ alone founded his empire upon 
love; and at this hour millions of men will die for him. In 
every other existence but that of Christ, how many imperfections ? 
From the first day to the last he is the same, always the same: 
majestic and simple, infinitely firm and infinitely gentle. He 


proposes to our faith a series of mysteries, and commands with 
authority that we should believe them, giving no other reason 


88 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


than those tremendous words, ‘‘I am God.’’ What audacity, 
what sacrilege, what blasphemy in that declaration, if it were 
not true. 


This is a very solemn alternative suggested by the 
French emperor. If we must decide between them, 
the benevolence of our Lord’s character compels us to 
reject the supposition of presumption and arrogance, 
and to accept the miracle. 

But I am not quite sure that his idea of a kingdom 
is as extraordinary as the central thought of his the- 
ology. While his lips were not the first to call the 
ultimate mystery of the universe “ Father,” they pro- 
nounced that name more frequently than any teacher 
who had preceded him, and imparted to it the fullness 
of its gracious meaning. Mankind prior to his day 
had uniformly pictured God as harsh, illiberal, stern, 
unyielding ; as a being hard to be propitiated ; as an 
inexorable judge who shows no mercy; as a creditor 
| who exacts the uttermost farthing ; and as an implacable 
perfection impatient at the mistakes of his creatures. 
Even now, outside the influence of Christianity, and 
sometimes within, it is not easy to think generous 
things of God, to credit him with noble purposes 
toward his children, and to acquit him of everything 
like littleness and meanness. Humanity is naturally 
suspicious of its Creator, and the fact that its latest 
philosophy is pessimism proves how difficult it is to 
educate it up to confidence. How wonderful then the 
disclosure made by Jesus! He declares that God loves 
the world, that he would have no soul perish, and that 
he gave himself in his Son for its redemption. He 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 89 


represents him as seeking the lost, as forgiving tres- 
passes, as yearning for the recovery of the prodigal, 
and as going out gladly to meet and welcome him. As 
portrayed by his filial genius, the Father is no longer 
remote from his creatures, no longer alienated from 
them ; but is near to them, weeping over them, and 
seeking continually their everlasting happiness. This 
conception is not natural to man’s heart. It is foreign 
to it, as is the kindred one of the Almighty being in 
sacrifice for the extinction of the very sins committed 
against him. Alien also to the human mind the sup- 
position of angelic interposition; of the chorus of 
celestial hosts; and of all those exquisite touches of 
heaven's sympathy with earth which make the Gospels 
so extremely beautiful. In all this we have not only 
the highest originality, but an originality that was en- 
tirely independent of quickening influences from en- 
vironment. ‘“ Nazareth was no Athens, where phi- 
losophy breathed in the circumambient air; it had 
neither Porch nor Lyceum, not even a school of the 
prophets. There is God in the heart of this youth. 
That mightiest heart that ever beat, stirred by ‘the 
Spirit of God, how it wrought in his bosom!” Theo- 
dore Parker, who uttered these words, does not over- 
state his greatness, which may be described as the 
superlative of the morally sublime; but neither does 
he show us how to escape the inference that only the 
miraculous can explain such a being. 

We have become so accustomed to hear our Saviour 
extolled as good that we assume that we know all that 
this distinction means, and thus are in danger of quite 
losing sight of its tribute to his supernatural man- 


go THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


hood. Readily we admit that there was no fault in 
him ; that he was blameless and righteous, and was in 
everything worthy of admiration. But we do not 
usually pause to consider the significance of our admis- 
sions. We ought, first of all, to note the import of the 
type of goodness which he illustrated in his life. There 
was a pagan ideal of goodness which lay in the direc- 
tion of courage, patriotism, and undisguised enjoyment ; 
there was a philosophical ideal in utilitarian calcula- 
tion, superiority to fate, and idle speculation; there 
was also a pharisaical ideal, which consisted in a strange 
admixture of pride, hypocrisy, formalism, and inhu- 
manity. Here and there during our Lord’s time there 
were men who regarded goodness as being essentially 
rectitude, and who were so just that mercy seemed to 
them a crime; others who identified it with religious 
professions and practices, but who, outside the sanctu- 
ary, felt at liberty to rob widows’ houses, and to perse- 
cute those who worshiped not with them. In our age 
also there are many types of goodness, especially 
among those who are not disciples of Jesus; or, who if 
disciples, have not very carefully learned of him. There 
is the mercantile conception, that it is fulfilled in pay- 
ing debts and keeping obligations; the sentimental 
theory of pity, compassion, particularly toward those 
who are persistently unworthy. And then there is that 
which expresses the thought of animalism; that to be 
good is to be sincere, generous to drunkenness, and 
kind-hearted to wastefulness; and that which is so 
blended with religious rites and observances as to 
supersede in the opinion of its devotee the necessity 
for personal purity and sweet gentleness. In sharp 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST gi 


contrast with these crude and faulty ideals stands the 
goodness of Christ. In it there was no affectation, 
pretension, or insufferable arregance; but modesty, 
meekness, and humility. It revealed justice without 
vindictiveness, love without weakness, liberality with- 
out unfaithfulness, philanthropy without scornfulness, 
independence without dogmatism, devoutness without 
superstition, and faith in God without unseemly pre- 
sumption. He was pure in heart, unaffected in man- 
ners, simple in tastes, uncorruptible in speech, sincere 
in action, considerate in judgment, charitable in feel- 
ing, compassionate in spirit, and loving in all his 
thoughts, plans, and deeds—loving reverently his 
Father God, and passionately his brother man. All 
this is really very extraordinary; and the more one 
ponders it the more striking and wonderful must it 
appear. 

But perhaps the best way to measure its meaning is 
to attempt to reproduce it all in our own character and 
conduct. ‘This, in the second place, I commend to my 
readers, if they would perceive the logical bearing of 
our Lord’s moral perfection. I am quite certain with 
the very best intentions and with the most ardent 
enterprise, they will find it all but impossible to be 
good with his goodness. They will, in spite of innumer- 
able precautions, stumble every few steps of their way. 
Comparative failure is the lamentable confession that 
has fallen from the lips of the noblest saints; for the 
model before them, as before us, is at once a cause of 
delight and despair. If we try to be humble as he was, 
we shall probably seem self-conscious; if solemnly 
dignified, very likely we will border on stiffness and pre- 


92 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


tentiousness ; if pious in speech, we shall find it hard 
to escape cant; and in every other virtue and grace 
that attained completeness of excellence in him we 
shall find undreamed-of difficulties, which if they do 
not discourage us, will at least go far to convince us 
that the being who was good with the Christ-goodness 
must have been the mightiest miracle of the ages. 

What other conclusion is open to reason if the sum- 
mary of our Master’s personal characteristics, charms, 
and convictions as penned by Kenan is to be accepted 
as even approximately correct ? Ponder these expressive 
and eloquent excerpts : 


‘«The highest consciousness of God which has existed in the 
bosom of humanity was that of Jesus.’’ ‘‘ From the first, Jesus 
regarded his relationship with God as that of a son with his 
father. This was his greatest act of originality ; in this he had 
nothing in common with the race!’’ ‘‘ He cleared at one bound 
the abyss (between the natural and supernatural) impossible to 
most, which the weakness of the human faculties has created 
between God and man.’’ ‘‘Let us place, then, the person of 
Jesus at the highest summit of human greatness. . . So far 
from Jesus having been created by his disciples, he appeared in 
everything as superior.’’ ‘‘In Jesus was condensed all that is 
good and elevated in our nature.’’ ‘‘To conceive the good is 
not sufficient; it must be made to succeed among men. In 
morals, as in art, precept is nothing; practice is everything. 

The palm is his who has been mighty both in words and 
in works. . . Jesus, from this double point of view, is with- 
out equal; his glory remains entire, and will ever be renewed.”’ 
‘‘Jesus . . has made his race take the greatest step toward 
the divine.’’ ‘Jesus had . . a fixed personal resolution, 
which exceeding in intensity every other created will, directs to 
this hour the destinies of humanity.’’ ‘‘ They (beliefs about God 
and man) gave him (Jesus) a power over his own age of which 
no individual had been possessed before . . . or since.’’ 


THE ARGUMENT: FROM CHRIST 93 


‘‘Jesus . . proclaimed the principle upon which society has 
reposed for eighteen hundred years.’’ ‘‘His character threw 
around him a fascination from which no one . . could 
escape.’’ ‘‘ The day on which Jesus uttered his saying (John 
4: 24) he was truly the Son of God. He pronounced for the 
first time the sentence upon which will repose the edifice of 
eternal religion. He founded the pure worship of allages, of all 
lands, that which all elevated souls will practise until the end of 
time.’’—Lzfe of Jesus. 


All this is very beautiful, but what does it mean? 
Does it mean anything? If he was as spiritual as these 
words denote, if he was as near to God, if there was 
condensed in him all possible goodness, and if he has 
founded the pure worship of all ages, are we justified 
in thinking of him as other than a miracle? Understand, 
I am not saying that these most remarkable phases 
of his character and ministry prove his divinity. He 
may be that, in the real sense of the word employed. 
But Iam not discussing that theological question. I 
am simply asking you to put together what I have said 
regarding this Religious Figure and determine whether 
he is explained or explainable on naturalistic principles. 
This is the problem of Jesus. How do you account for 
him? What circumstances molded him, what influences 
inspired him, and what happy conditions favored him ? 
After years of careful investigation, and after diligent 
comparisons of estimates of his dignity put forth by 
friends and foes, I have concluded that no such Figure 
as this was ever fashioned by natural causes ; and I am 
sanguine that those who candidly weigh the evidence 
I have adduced, will agree with me that Christ is the 
standing miracle of our holy religion. 

Some feeble and almost languid endeavors have been 


* 


94 THE ARGUMENT ‘FOR CHRISTIANITY 


put forth for the purpose of discrediting this argument. 
It has been suggested that our Lord was “evolved,” 
that talismanic term being supposed to contain “the 
promise and potency ”’ of a complete elucidation, as the 
primal monad has been described as comprehending in 
itself the prophecy and power of the universe. But it 
is pertinent to inquire, From what could he have 
been evolved ? 

If we adopt this hypothesis, the possibility of the 
supernatural is denied, and Jesus must be regarded as 
the product of purely natural causes such as may be 
supposed to have wrought in the line of his descent, 
or in the peculiarities of his surroundings. But is it 
rationally conceivable that the race from which he 
sprang or the community in which he dwelt for thirty 
years couid have borne this perfect and glorious flower 
of the ages? There does not seem to be much 
encouragement to this theory in the moral quality of his 
ancestry ; for easily discernible on his genealogical tree 
are the apples of Sodom as well as the fruit of Eschol; 
and in the very substance of its stock and roots, the 
foulness of iniquity as well as the purity of virtue. 
Viewed merely as an earthly creature, there flowed in 
his blood the excellencies of Abraham, Enoch, David, 
Solomon, and Ruth, with the defects of Rahab and the 
alien, and somctimes idolatrous, contaminations of 
Pharez, the child of Tamar, Athaliah, daughter of the 
Baal-worshiping Jezebel, and even beautiful Bathsheba, 
grandchild of the crafty Ahithophel, wife of a Hittite, 
and probably of Hittite origin herself. The law of 
heredity can therefore throw no light on the mystery 
of his character. For, I suppose there has never been 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 95 


another instance where offspring has had so little in 
common with ancestry, and has only reproduced the 
good, and nothing, not even the slightest trace, of the 
bad. It is well known that nature is inscrutable, and 
that she has put to shame every effort in the direction 
of human stirpiculture, and that it has been impossible 
to produce one human being entirely unaffected by the 
evils practised by his forefathers. As the flora and 
fauna of the entire earth are never found in one zone, 
nor the desirable qualities of one zone found to the ex- 
clusion of the undesirable, so it is unparalleled and in- 
explicable on a naturalistic hypothesis, that the noblest 
and highest virtues, not of one race, but of all races, 
should meet in one human: being and never one of their 
ignoble vices revive or survive in him. No wonder then 
that Rev. Hugh MacMillan, who speaks with the 
authority of knowledge on such a subject, says: ‘ Man- 
kind, by the law of natural development, could never 
have given birth to a character so exceptional as that 
of Christ.” 

And the same line of reasoning precludes the suppo- 
sition that his social surroundings were capable of fash- 
ioning and molding so extraordinary a being. We cannot 
surely for a moment suppose that he derived his purity 
from their filthiness, his enlightenment from their 
ignorance, his liberality from their intolerance, his 
breadth from their narrowness, his tenderness from 
their harshness, his progressiveness from their stagna- 
tion, his magnanimity from their meanness, his gracious- 
ness from their churlishness, and his immeasurable love 
from their unmeasured hate? The environments, the 
moral and intellectual atmospheres, the national tradi- 


96 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


tions and ambitions, and the social exclusiveness and 
antipathies Christ encountered were thoroughly alien 
to what he was, what he taught, and to what he 
purposed and achieved. All such solutions are trivial 
and futile. Even a writer as favorable to evolution as 
Professor Le Conte, realizes the difficulty of applying 
this theory to the enigma of Jesus, and is constrained 
to admit the necessity for a miraculous element in his 
appearance and development. He describes him as a 
goal in evolution, that is, “not only a completion of 
one stage, but also the beginning of another and higher 
stage—on a higher plane of life, with new and higher 
capacities and powers unimaginable from any lower 
plane”; and hence he teaches that with him came 
“new powers and properties unimaginable from the 
human point of view, and therefore to us seemingly 
supernatural, z, e., above our nature.”! 

But if he could not have been evolved could he have 
been invented? This is the only remaining alternative. 
In a slight degree the answer has already been antici- 
pated, and the striking declaration of Rousseau has been 
quoted: “The inventor would be a more astonishing 
character than the hero,” to which I may now add the 
conviction of Theodore Parker: “It would take a Jesus 
to forge a Jesus.” This I believe, and whoever thinks 
seriously will hardly fail to agree with the great Unita- 
rian. It is not an easy matter to create a character for 
fiction, to shape it, to preserve its consistency with 
itself, and to make it live, move, and act ina thoroughly 
congruous manner. To succeed in this kind of art 
requires genius of a high order. Particularly hard 


1“ Fvolution in its Relation to Religious Thought,” pp. 360-364. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 97 


must it be to draw a saintly personality, when it becomes 
necessary to combine virtues and graces which by slight 
perversion may render the whole conception disagreeable 
and ludicrous. But when to the “beauty of holiness” 
an author tries to adda touch of the supernatural, 
especially when he attempts to make the supernatural 
the strongest and most noticeable feature in his creation, 
he undertakes a task destined to inevitable failure. His 
unearthly impersonation will either lack dignity or mys- 
teriousness, will either be too human to be heavenly or 
too heavenly to be human ; and will in proportion as it 
embodies goodness be grotesque, or in proportion as it 
represents wickedness be ridiculously nonsensical. Such 
performances betray themselves. No one can possibly 
be deceived by them or suppose the “painted things” 
to be actual existences. They are evidently artificial. 
The actor behind the mask of ghost, devil, or god is 
unable to conceal the trick. Every effort of this kind 
in literature has a very apparent resemblance to the 
gruesome shams that have been palmed off by skillful 
frauds on modern Spiritualism. Even Shakespeare is 
not equal to this sort of invention. His ghosts and 
witches are painfully below his other works, and are 
neither impressive nor tragical. Hamlet's father and 
the phantoms of the murdered princes are somewhat 
formal, stiff, and fantastic. They do not seem to belong 
to earth, to heaven, or hell, but rather to the realm of a 
poet’s distempered fancy, where indeed they were born 
and where alone they are fitted to dwell. Other 
writers have succeeded no better than Shakespeare. 
Even Milton’s portraiture of Satan, horribly sublime as 
it is in some aspects, as a whole is painfully overdone. 
I 


98 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


And Dante’s picture of the monarch of perdition is 
more open to criticism than that of Milton. In his 
“ Inferno” we read: 
That emperor who sways 
The realm of sorrow, at mid-breast from the ice 
Stood forth ; and I in stature, am more like 
A giant than the giants are to his arms... . 
If he were beautiful 
As he is hideous now, and yet did dare 
To scowl upon his Maker, well from him 
May all our misery flow. .. . 
At six eyes wept ; the tears 
Adown three faces rolled in bloody foam. 

Evidently the poet thought that enormous size and 
the multiplication of distinctively human features, as 
the increase of eyes and faces, would create the impres- 
sion of supernaturalness, whereas they only suggest an 
exaggerated and hideous deformity of earthly origin. 
Goethe, Bulwer, and less celebrated writers are in the 
same condemnation with the master-poets of England 
and Italy ; and even the biographers of religious saints 
and of the founders of religions, such as Confucius, 
Mohammed, and Buddha, are woefully unsuccessful 
when they attempt to invest their heroes with celestial 
graces and superterrestrial powers. They can describe 
signs, portents, and miraculous convulsions fluently 
enough, but where their failure is conspicuous is just 
whereit is apparent also inthe Apocryphal Gospels, where 
they attempt to impart the miraculous to the character, 
and where they invent miraculous deeds to be its appro- 
priate expression and reflection. The deeds are usually 
of the cheap thaumaturgic kind that never seem serious 
enough to invite investigation or discussion. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST — 99 


But how different all this is in the New Testament ! 
There Jesus lives and moves before our eyes’ in a most 
realistic manner. No one of the writers appears to be 
straining after effect, nor to be laboring to make out a 
superhuman personality; and yet, as we follow their 
accounts, we feel that we are in the presence of a be- 
ing who, however emphatically he is called the Son of 
Man, can be nothing less than the Son of God. This 
unique figure cannot have been the product of unlearned 
fishermen and peasants, even though of vigorous brains. 
Where the greatest poets of eighteen centuries have 
failed, these ill educated and very matter-of-fact men 
could never have succeeded. They must have photo- 
graphed an original ; and, if so, the original was a mira- 
cle among men. Nor can this inference be evaded by 
all the contemporaneous sweet talk about myths, fables, 
and allegories. On this point, Thomas Carlyle happily 
expresses himself : 


The ‘‘Pilgrim’s Progress’’ is an allegory, and a beautiful, 
just, and serious one; but consider whether Bunyan’s allegory 
could have preceded the faith it symbolizes. The faith had to 
be already there, standing, believed by everybody, of which the 
allegory could have become a shadow ; and with all its serious- 
ness, we may say a sportful shadow, a mere play of fancy, in 
comparison with that awful fact and scientific certainty, which it 
poetically strives to emblem. He further adds, dryly and sig- 
nificantly, ‘‘ men did never risk their lives for allegory.”’ 


If the gospel story is myth, fable, allegory, what was 
the fact back of it that inspired it, and that was be- 
lieved before it? The fact, according to Carlyle, must 
have been more than the equivalent of the fable ; and, 
if so, then it must have been even more astounding 


I0o THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


than the biographical narrative recorded by the evan- 
gelists. And as men do not die for allegories, we have 
the witness in the martyr sufferings and death of the 
writers that they were not the authors of fiction. All 
was real to them—the birth, the ministry, the resurrec- 
tion of Him whom they preached ; and through them, 
all is real to us, from the manger, with its burden of 
glorified infancy to 
| Those holy fields, 
Over whose acres walk’d those blessed feet, 


Which fourteen hundred years ago, were nail’d 
For our advantage on the bitter cross. 


The third, and final stage of this argument centers 
in Christ as a Religious Force; indeed, as The Religious 
Force of all ages. Frances Power Cobbe has in some 
measure anticipated my meaning; and, though an ad- 
mirer of Theodore Parker and his school, has not hesi- 
tated to ascribe to Jesus the most tremendous potency 
in the progress of mankind. 


His coming was to the life of humanity what regeneration 
is to the life of the individual. This is not a conclusion 
doubtfully deduced from questionable biographies, but a broad, 
plain inference from the universal history of our race. We 
may dispute all details, but the grand result is beyond criti- 
cism. The world has changed, and that change is historically 
traceable to Christ. Christ, the elder brother of the human 
family, was the helper and, in the highest philosophic sense, 
the Saviour of humanity. 


But what is the evidential value and significance of this 
fact ? 3 
Much has been written of late years by men of 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST IOI 


science on the subject of force—on its conservation, 
correlation, and persistence; and the trend of their 
discussions goes to make clearer what has never really 
been denied, that every effect, or series of effects, has 
its equivalent in the force expended on its production. 
Hence the quality and quantity of the result attained 
measures and determines the quantity and quality of 
the force employed. The seeds of roses, tulips, violets, 
and of other flowers that beautify the garden are not 
sufficient of themselves to the end purposed and desired 
when they are planted. These seeds plus the elements 
of earth and sky, the oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydro- 
gen, which they appropriate, combine, and organize, are 
the equivalent of the specific plant-tissues which are 
brought forth. Not the one without the other. The 
atmosphere and the soil may be regarded as a garden 
themselves holding in solution all the flowers that can 
possibly be produced, and waiting only for the germs to 
be safely housed in the ground, through which they 
precipitate their treasures into the form, tint, and fra- 
grance of those charming beauties which glorify the 
feet of our pilgrimage. Brush, canvas, and colors are 
necessary to the execution of a rhasterpiece in paint- 
ing ; but these alone are totally inadequate to the re- 
sult. Great pictures are held in solution in the culture, 
ideals, and ambitions of an age as well as in pigments 
and pencils, and they are precipitated into actual cre- 
ations through the activity of that germinal center 
called the brain. Hence too it has often been said, 
and the thought is fundamental in the teachings of 
Cousin and Carlyle, that representative men are those 
who in a special manner embody, express, and repro- 


I02 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


duce the very genius and soul of the period in which 
they live. The force equivalent to a flower is some- 
thing more than a seed; the equivalent of a great 
‘picture is indeed a brain, but it is a brain plus some- 
thing else ; and a religion also may be such a product 
as to require for its equivalent a force surpassing all 
that is possibly conserved in any mere human being, 
and all that is conceivably conserved in the devout 
aspirations, traditions, and tendencies of any particular 
age. Such a religion is Christianity. 

Jesus Christ is its seed, its brain, its genius, and all 
that it is and all that it has wrought are primarily and 
efficiently due to him. We have already seen some- 
thing of its moral grandeur, and we have seen it chang- 
ing and shaping the course of history. What it has 
achieved, in the conquest of darkness and in the eman- 
cipation of light, will appeal to our thoughtful attention 
in a succeeding argument; but what it has been, of 
peace to millions of troubled consciences, of satisfaction 
to troubled minds, and of joy to sorrowful hearts, must 
at least be mentioned in this connection. At its altars 
untold multitudes have found the way of access to the 
Unseen; in its one supereminent sacrifice they have 
discovered the secret of cleansing from moral guilt ; 
and in its holy temples they have touched the sacred 
fires which kindle genius and intelligence. The world is 
full of the trophies of itspresence and power. If weturn 
to literature we discern them in the “ De Czvztate Dez,” 
the “Divina Comedia,’ the “ lmztatio Christi,” the 
Shakespearean dramas, the “ Paradise Lost,” the “ Pil- 
grim’s Progress,” the Browning poems, the lyrics and 
sonnets of MacDonald, and the pathetic sublimity of 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 103 


the «In Memoriam.” As Prof. B, B. Edwards has 
said: “The Red Cross Knight in the ‘ Faerie Queene’ 
of Spenser is the Christian of the last chapter of the 
Epistle to the Ephesians. The ‘Messiah’ of Pope is 
only a paraphrase of some passages in Isaiah. The 
highest strains of Cowper in the ‘Task’ are an expan- 
sion of a chapter of the same prophet. The ‘Thana- 
topsis’ of Bryant is indebted to a passage from the 
book of Job. And Lord Byron’s celebrated poem on 
‘Darkness’ was founded on a passage in Jeremiah,”’! 
If all the books written about Christianity, about its 
Hero and its Bible, and the volumes that refer to it or 
that derive from it their sentiments or meaning were 
destroyed, there would be. left in literature very little 
worth preserving. This power is seen also in music 
and art as well as in letters. It is necessary to account 
for the triumphs of Tintoretto and Raphael, of Leon- 
ardo da Vinci and Murillo; and the architecture of 
Brunelleschi, Giotto, and Wren, “the worship in 
stone,” as Heine terms it ; and the marvelous sculp- 
ture of Michael Angelo and Ghiberti, to say nothing 
of modern masters like Hiram Powers, are inexplicable 
apart from its influence. And the same is true of the 
compositions of a Mozart, of a Handel, and of all those 
written from the days of the Gregorian chants to those 
of the gospel hymns, whose simple melodies have moved 
the common people to devout enthusiasm. Whether it be 
a glorious symphony or oratorio, or a picture like the 
transfiguration, or a statue like the Moses, at Rome, or 
a group like the Apostles, at Copenhagen, or a cam- 
panile like that at Florence, or a noble cathedral like 


CAE A Se a ER saat Se ea 2 a 
1 Quoted in Phelps’ ‘‘ Men and Books,’”’ 1892, p. 240. 


104 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


those of England and Normandy, there the hand of 
Christianity is manifest, molding all after its own ideals, 
and informing all with its own mysterious and exalted 
spirit. 

The problem that presents itself is to find a force 
equivalent to this stupendous effect. We agree that 
its symbol is Jesus of Nazareth. But what does that 
name stand for? Remember, you are to sum up the 
benefits conferred, the works achieved, and the in- 
fluence exerted by Christianity, and estimate by the 
total the character and greatness of the momentum 
from which all have proceeded. Thus measured, is it 
not evident that no mere manhood, however blameless, 
can rationally account for this phenomenon of religion 
taken as a whole? Shall we affirm that Christ’s 
humanity, plus the pure aspirations, liberal culture, 
Messianic predictions, and social discontents, was its 
sufficient source, and has been its adequate inspiration 
through nineteen centuries? We may of course assert 
such a proposition, but no one has ever been able to 
substantiate it by satisfactory proof. Over and over 
again it has been shown that the times in which Christ 
lived do not explain him; that he was not the repre- 
sentative of his age; and that neither the idea of his 
kingdom, nor the central doctrine of his theology can 
be traced to any schools of thought or to any spiritual 
sentiments influential, in his brief day. If he was 
Deity incarnate the problem is immediately solved ; for 
God manifest in the flesh is more than equivalent as a 
force to all that Christianity is and to all that Chris- 
tianity has done. But I do not desire to obtrude a 
conception which belongs rather to theology than to 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST I05 


apologetics. A simpler and less debatable course is 
open before us. scribing to Jesus no higher rank in 
the universe than that of man, if to that we shall add 
the supernatural we shall have found not only the perfect 
equivalent, but necessarily the conclusive evidence that 
Christianity is of divine origin. For if the supernatural 
held in solution the true religion, as the atmosphere 
practically holds in solution forest, flowers, and golden 
harvests, and if with the advent and brief ministry of 
Jesus all that it contained was precipitated with his per- 
sonality and in his life to be combined, organized, and 
wrought out in the precious Faith, even as the carbon, 
oxygen, and hydrogen of the air when precipitated are 
reproduced through the vitality of seeds in various 
forms of usefulness and beauty, then it follows that 
Christianity proceeded from the “Father of Lights,” 
ana has gleamed through the long centuries with a 
radiance not of earth. 

But the evidential significance of Jesus asa Religious 
Force does not terminate here. His power of resist- 
ance and persistence must be calculated as well as the 
degree of his creative potentiality. Since his reputed 
resurrection, the mightiest of human combinations 
have been formed against him, and even friends and 
admirers have oftentimes so spoken and acted as to 
jeopardize his authority and influence. During nine- 
teen centuries, while his praises have been sung by 
many tongues, endeavors have constantly been made to 
pervert his doctrine, arrest the progress of his cause, 
and empty his name of its high, spiritual import. 
There is no parallel to this in the posthumous histories 
of Zoroaster, Buddha, Confucius, or Mohammed. In 


106 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


this respect at least, our Lord occupies a position of 
solitary, and in a sense, glorious pre-eminence. If as 
a force he is the equivalent of all malignant hostilities 
that have warred upon him, and is more than the 
equivalent of all obstacles and impediments that have 
been placed in the way of his feet, it requires very 
little arithmetical skill to compute the necessary meas- 
ure of his energy and might. The strength of a piece 
of artillery may be determined, not only by the size 
and weight of a projectile and the distance it is thrown, 
but by the amount of gunpowder the cannon itself 
withstands when the explosion occurs. In a similar 
way we can fix with proximate certainty who and what 
our Saviour must be, and what energies must be back 
of him, by his dynamical resources. 

We have already seen what he has produced, it re- 
mains for us to glance at what he has resisted. It would 
almost seem that his post-resurrection history was to be 
in many respects a counterpart of his earthly life, espe- 
cially in the perils to which he was exposed and in the 
enmities which he provoked. As the child Jesus was 
assailed by Herod, so priests and rulers set themselves 
together to destroy the infancy of his church. His name 
was blackened, his pretensions caricatured, and his dis- 
ciples murdered. And as his neighbors at Nazareth 
would have cast him down from the hill near their town, 
so his own countrymen finally rejected him as an im- 
postor, guilty of impiety. Gautama Buddha was never 
rejected by his own kindred. They gladly accepted him 
and his deliverance from Brahmanism. Mohammed was 
not finally thrust out by his own nation. At the very 
beginning of his mission his family owned him and be- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 107 


came his supporters ; and though for a time the Kore- 
ishites were moved to hostility, soon after his death all 
Arabia acknowledged his prophetical vocation. But 
Jesus was thrust aside by his own race with maledic- 
tions as fierce and bitter as were pronounced by the 
synagogue against Spinoza. Christianity won its 
earliest decisive victories among the Gentiles, differing 
in blood and traditions from its author. But even they 
did not submit to his authority without a prolonged and 
stubborn resistance. At first it almost seemed that the 
memory of his ministry must perish from sheer neglect. 
As Mary's child was lost in the crowd at Jerusalem, it 
is a wonder that all knowledge of the faith he founded 
was not irrecoverably lost in the mire, rush, and enjoy- 
ments of the Roman world. He is only alluded to in 
a fragmentary and supercilious manner by secular 
writers of the first century. The obscurity of the sect 
that represented him was likewise pathetic and distress- 
ing. Without fortune, without allies at court, without 
armies, without social standing, it was highly probable 
that his name would speedily sink into oblivion. The 
demands of trade and war, the movements of the 
legions, and the growing worship of the emperors were 
like wide, deep billows deluging all other interests. 
Nor is this surprising. Neither London nor New 
York would pause in its buying and selling, in its 
struggle for commercial supremacy, and its mad whirl 
of social delights, to consider the claims of a religious 
nobody who had been hung on a tree and had left 
behind him a handful of humble followers. That the 
Roman Empire therefore should be indifferent and 
apathetic is not singular. But it is startling, that 


108 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


as the boy Jesus passed unnoticed and unharmed 
through the surging throngs, and was found at last 
calmly disputing with the doctors, so the influence of 
Christ, though ignored and unrecognized, should ulti- 
mately be found to have penetrated pagan society, and 
even to have touched with its grace the highest philos- 
ophy of the age. Yes, long before the alleged miracle 
at the Milvian bridge, Tertullian wrote: “We are but 
of yesterday, and we have filled all that belongs to you 
_the cities, the fortresses, the free towns, the very 
camps, the palace, the senate, the forum; we leave to 
you the temples only.” The Empire, however, did not 
submit to this final triumph without a bloody protest. 
What contempt failed to accomplish, cruelty joyfully 
undertook. Brute force was invoked to crush the in- 
offensive worshipers who, without one carnal weapon, 
confronted Czesar’s legions. Nero lighted the gardens 
of his golden home with the flames that tortured and 
destroyed the saints of God, while Decius, Diocletian, 
and other rulers black with infamy, robbed the earth 
of men as great as Ignatius, Polycarp, and Irenzeus, 
and of souls as humble as Blandina and Felicitas, and 
filled the homes of innocent thousands with anguish 
and apprehension. And yet the Christ whom these 
martyrs loved was sufficient to sustain them; and suc- 
cessfully to resist for his church the axes of the lictors, 
the talons of the imperial eagles, the merciless fangs 
of the lions, the devouring voracity of fires, and the 
corrosive malignity of crowned incarnate furies. Con- 
cerning these deadly trials, Tertullian testifies in the 
most exalted terms: “Call us sarmentici and Semaxtt, 
names derived from the wood wherewith we are 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 109 


burned and the stakes to which we are bound; this is 
the garment of our victory, our embroidered robe, our 
triumphal chariot.” In a sense, and a very real sense, 
one being, the Christ of history, endured the shock 
and weight of that Roman empire whose armies had 
shaken to their foundations the strongest kingdoms of 
earth and, after withstanding the onset, with his bleed- 
ing hands lifted high above the stricken eagles his vic- 
torious labarum with its glorious monogram. Calcu- 
late the magnitude of the force that thus hurled itself 
against our Lord, and you will be able to form some 
idea of the equivalent force by which it was success- 
fully resisted. 

It is a melancholy fact that this tragic struggle for 
existence was enacted in other ways but, none the less 
truly, within the ever-widening circle of his professed 
adherents and avowed admirers. At one time it ap- 
peared that controversy would prove more fatal to the 
continuity of his power in the earth than persecution. 
Patripassians (Sabellians) and Arians distracted mankind 
by their attacks on what had been accepted heretofore 
as sound doctrine, and which Athanasius was provi- 
dentially raised up to defend; and if there was ever an 
hour when Christianity was imperilled by the dagger 
thrusts of its friends it was during the Homoousion 
struggle, which the orthodox Socrates likens to a night 
conflict in which the contestants could neither discern 
the form nor understand the speech of each other. 
From the shame of the Councils, from the degradation 
of imperial interference, and from the disgraceful feuds 
of religious factions Christianity at last emerged, but 


only to meet new movements that threatened, while 
K 


IIO THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


professedly honoring the Lord’s name, to overthrow 
his supremacy and nullify his power. Pontiffs and so- 
called saints practically pushed him aside and demanded 
the homage due to him alone. Mary the virgin eclipsed 
him, and art confirmed the revolt by painting him con- 
tinually in all the weakness of childhood or in the immo- 
bility of death, And even after the Reformation, the 
very party that professed to have rescued him from the 
deadly clutch of medizeval Romanism came sadly near to 
imitating their rivals. They disfigured the Christ, 
disguised him by wearisome treatises of a theological 
kind, burdened him with their own crude conceptions 
of predestination, preterition, reprobation, limited atone- 
ment, and the damnation of infants, so that it was 
almost impossible to recognize the original in what they 
undoubtedly desired to be a fair and honest portrait. 
In a word, so many harsh and cruel doctrines have been 
ascribed to him, and so many narrowing and hardening 
restrictions have been imputed to him, it is wonder- 
ful that he has retained a place in the heart of the race. 
He has been represented as opposed to the innocent 
amusements of life; as favoring asceticism and bigotry ; 
and as only anxious to beautify the world to come with 
the redeemed however the present world might be neg- 
lected. But he has survived all of these attempts to 
diminish his spiritual greatness, to narrow him, to brand 
him by a mere creed-torm, to dethrone him from love, 
to mar his moral beauty, and to hide the real majesty 
of his character in some new-made tomb, fragrant with 
spices and garlanded with flowers of naturalistic the- 
ology. He cannot be holden of death; and as he rose 
from the dead three days after the crucifixion, so has 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST LIT 


he repeatedly arisen from magnificent sepulchres into 
which learned ecclesiastics and wonderful system- 
makers of cold dogmatics have sought effectually to 
bury him out of sight forever. But he survives; and 
to-day in communities large and small there moves a 
Presence of whom millions are conscious, mild and in- 
effable, tender and loving, scattering everywhere the 
gracious blessings of life, light, and liberty. It is the 
Christ, escaped out of all hands that have hindered him 
or tried to suppress him, and who, though he is con- 
cealed from sight, is the ever-abiding force by which 
-religion is shielded from the assaults of its enemies and 
the mistakes of its friends. 

How it ever could have. been deemed possible to ac- 
count for this unique phenomenon as men of genius have 
been explained, I cannot understand! There is nothing 
like it in the entire range of moral dynamics. It stands 
alone without parallel. In what terms the equivalent to 
this tremendous and unequalled pressure can be stated, 
apart from the supernatural, I do not know; nor has 
there thus far been suggested any other adequate 
hypothesis. The problem is, how could a mere man 
resist all these combined and concentrated antago- 
nisms, how endure such a weight and not be crushed, 
and how check such an inundation and not be 
overwhelmed? When it can be shown that fortifica- 
tions of snow built by infant hands can withstand the 
guns of modern iron-clad navies; or when reeds and 
rushes can remain erect and firm before the pounding 
of the ocean’s angered billows ; or awoman’s grasp can 
arrest the onward rush of the fiery locomotive ; then it 
may be possible to show that a human being could con- 


II2 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


front these accumulated anti-Christian aggressions 
and not succumb to the ponderous weight. But 
until then, serious minds will continue to see back 
of the man Jesus something more than nature, some- 
thing more than the favorable combinations of the 
finite, and will hardly fail to discern the far-reaching 
perspective of God himself filling all and in all. 

Let us recapitulate and sum up the argument of this 
chapter. 

1. Christ as a Religious Founder bears unimpeachable 
testimony to the divine origin of Christianity. 

2. Christ as a Religious Figure serves as the highest 
miraculous credential to the divine origin of Christianity. 

3. Christ as a Religious Force verifies tn himself the 
reality of the supernatural involved in the divine origin 
and in the historical permanence of Christianity. 

At this point I rest the argument from Christ, con- 
vinced that there is in it the true note of an unanswer- 
able apologetic. We all must remember, and with 
grateful appreciation, the tribute of Tennyson to our 
Lord? 


Strong Son of God, immortal love, 
Whom we, that have not seen thy face, 
By faith, and faith alone, embrace, 

Believing where we cannot prove ; 


Thine are these orbs of light and shade ; 
Thou madest life in man and brute; 
Thou madest death ; and lo! thy foot 

Is on the skull which thou hast made. 


Thou seemest human and divine, 
The highest, holiest manhood thou ; 
Our wills are ours, we know not how; 
Our wills are ours to make them thine. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CHRIST 13 


But what is this but an acknowledgment of the logic 
that dwells in the incarnation and ministry of our Lord ? 
While the poet is not altogether just to the evidence 
within reach when he writes, “ Believing where we 
cannot prove,’ the sweep of his thought more than 
compensates for this infelicity. He beholds in this 
“strong Son of God” a depth of love, a power over 
life and death, and a grandeur of manhood that dispel 
doubt and compel conviction. However “the will that 
is ours” may revolt from religion, he makes it his by 
the moral majesty of his being, and brings it into sub- 
jection to the authority of the unseen. The poet rec- 
ognizes the “sweet reasonableness ”’ of faith grounding 
itself and building up itself in this one exclusive and 
pre-eminent character. In other words, he subscribes 
to the argument I have tried to frame; he pronounces 
it sound, cogent, and conclusive. So likewise apparently 
does Robert Browning, who sees in Christ the chief 
antidote to the wayward and _ stubborn fancies of 
unbelief : 

The very God,—think, Abib !—dost thou think ? 

So the All-Great was the All-Loving too ; 

So through the thunder comes a human voice, 
Saying, ‘‘O heart I made, a heart beats here. 

Face my hands fashioned, see it in myself ; 

Thou hast no strength, nor mayst conceive of mine; 
But love I gave thee, with myself to love, 

And thou must love me who have died for thee.’ 

What can skepticism offer in reply to such a demon- 
stration? How can it resist such an appeal to the in- 
tellect and affections ?. The manifestation of God in the 
human is to the poet the end of all controversy, satisfy- 
ing inquiry, and convincing head and heart alike. For 


II4 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


it is not to be overlooked that the argument from Christ 
is full of warmth and persuasive grace as well as of 
cold, stern, syllogistic processes. It carries with it at 
each step such wonderful disclosures of heaven's com- 
passion, and such uplifting views of the relations exist- 
ing between the Creator and the creature, thateacive 
judgment is charmed and captivated even before the 
evidence itself has been duly sifted and scrutinized. 
And it may perhaps add to our appreciation of its worth 
to remember that the New Testament ascribes to it the 
conquering force of Christianity. The religion Jesus 
founded is represented as ever triumphing through his 
name. At the preaching of his name “every knee 
shall bow and every tongue confess.” He is himself 
at once the gospel and the proof of the gospel ; and 
that it should have fallen out as predicted only serves 
to corroborate and confirm the argument by sealing it 
with the stamp of prophecy fulfilled. When in public 
worship Christ is exalted and the universality of the 
homage tendered him is commemorated, testimony is 
borne to the fact that the predictions concerning his 
supremacy over thought are being accomplished, and 
that therefore the faith he proclaimed must be divinely 
true. Let the reader realize this, and whenever the 
Te Deum falls upon his ear, or he recalls its stately meas- 
ures, let him never forget that the combination of 
praises and the climax reached are evidences irrefragable 
that Christianity is neither a delusion nor a fraud. 


Thou art the King of glory, O Christ ; 
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. 


GHAR LE Ral 
THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 


> might have been expected from the distinctive 

character of Christianity, its earliest adherents, 
the men and women who were contemporaneous with 
its gracious Founder, especially the apostles, were from 
the first set apart to be witnesses. This function of 
course involved to some extent the necessity of expo- 
sition ; but the principal business at the beginning was 
to certify to facts rather than to explain them. Our 
Lord himself commanded the disciples to testify of his 
earthly ministry to the uttermost parts of the world, a 
commission they gladly accepted and sought faithfully 
to discharge. 

For some time after Pentecost this obligation was 
met orally; the living voice, not the written page, 
almost exclusively, if not entirely, proclaiming the his- 
torical verities of redemption. This method is admir- 
ably and graphically portrayed in the Acts of the 
Apostles, which may be taken as an accurate description 
of the propagation of the gospel in lands other than 
those referred to by the author, and through a longer 
period than is embraced in his treatise. A vivid picture 
has also descended to us from the pen of Irenzeus (died 
202 A. D.), who reproduces the days of Polycarp, whose 
martyrdom occurred 169 a. D.; and shows how the 
venerable friend of the “one whom Jesus loved,’ won 

115 


116 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the attention of the people by spoken discourse and 
not by sacred manuscripts, though these were not lack- 
ing in his century. He writes: 


I can recall the very place where Polycarp used to sit and 
teach, his manner of speech, his mode of life, his appearance, 
the style of his address, his frequent references to St. John and 
to others who had seen our Lord; how he used to repeat from 
memory the discourses which he had heard from them concern- 
ing our Lord, his miracles, and his mode of teaching ; and how, 
being instructed himself by those who were eye-witnesses of the 
Life of the world, there was in all that he said a strict agreement 
with the Scriptures.—Lusebius, Hist. Eccl., V. 20. 


One can readily imagine how much of charm must 
have attached to such a speaker, and how conviction 
must have attended his words. It is not surprising 
that such witnessing as this should have been cherished 
as long as it was possible. Some who are living can 
remember with what absorbing interest they listened 
to a surviving acquaintance of General Washington, 
who in his old age, when they were young, delighted 
to relate anecdotes of the honored father of his 
country. Even now, when that generation has passed 
away, the children of those who knew Washington, 
themselves in extreme old age, as they relate what was 
told them by their sires, his associates, are heard with 
more than ordinary attention. They are links that 
seem to connect us with the olden times more directly 
and more sensibly than books. We seem to see the 
images of the noble dead in their faces; and to hear 
in their voices the echoes of other voices that have 
long since been hushed in death. In the same way, the 
testimony of men who had been personally intimate 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY II7 


with Jesus, and who had seen what they affirmed, must 
have been peculiarly fascinating and convincing. It 
must have suggested the very presence of the Master 
himself. Most difficult must it have been not to feel 
that he had left a touch, an imprint of himself, and 
that he had imparted something of the virtue which 
constantly streamed from him to those persons who 
had become his mouthpiece. In a less degree, this 
interest must have centered in the utterances of indi- 
viduals who had been privileged to converse with the 
highly favored ones who had lived in sweet companion- 
ship with Jesus. To listen to John, who had rested his 
head on the Saviour’s bosom, must have been a vivid 
delight; to hear Polycarp, who had been taught by 
John, must have been an elevating experience; and 
then to receive the word from Irenzus, who had 
welcomed it from the lips of Polycarp, must have been 
an honor and a pleasure, only the impression must have 
declined in intensity as the distance increased between 
the speaker and the close of our Lord’s ministry on 
earth. Here it is that we lay bare the weak spot in 
the practical working and value of oral testimony. The 
more remote it is from the time when the events 
occurred to which it bears witness, the less vivid and 
less attractive does it become and, what is of more 
moment, the less reliable and trustworthy. 

Indeed, the imperfections and dangers of this 
method are such that it could only have been contem- 
plated as a temporary measure, to be depended on for 
a season, and until other and less variable means could 
be prepared. Of the highest value at the commence- 
ment of Christianity, it must in the course of com- 


118 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


paratively a few years have demonstrated its weakness. 
Unpremeditated errors would probably arise, unwar- 
ranted additions be made to the sacred narrative, and 
exaggerated views of men and things be born of excited 
imaginations, and these would have gained currency if 
there had been no fixed standard of appeal by which 
the accuracy of all statements could be tested. Noth- 
ing being recorded, settled, and expressed in permanent 
form, only a vague, unsatisfactory legend or tradition 
would have survived, and after a hundred or two years, no 
one would have been certain what to believe. To avert 
this peril, and the confusion that might arise from the 
vagrant fancies of uninstructed enthusiasts, it clearly 
became the duty of favored individuals who had per- 
sonal knowledge of the facts to reduce them to writ- 
ing, and to furnish posterity a clear, compact, and 
thoroughly authentic account of the events on which 
rest the spiritual and everlasting hopes of mankind. 
This has been done, done directly in the Gospels, and 
indirectly in the Acts and the Epistles ; and, as we have 
no reason to doubt, was done comprehensively and con- 
scientiously. Of this indeed we have evidence in the 
scrupulous care taken by Luke and John to record only 
what was certainly believed, and what was in perfect 
accord with their own experience and observation. In 
Luke’s prologue we have this statement : 


Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order 
a declaration of those things which are most surely believed 
among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the 
beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; it 
seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of 
all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY T1I9Q 


excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of 
those things wherein thou hast been instructed (Luke 1 : 1-4). 


Thus, likewise, with equal circumspection, John opens 
one of his letters: 


That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, 
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, 
and our hands have handled, of the Word of life . . . declare 
we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us. 


Nor should we suppose that these authors were excep- 
tional in their solicitude that the truth, the whole truth, 
and nothing but the truth should be preserved ; for the 
entire New Testament is pervaded by the spirit of sin- 
cerity and of painstaking exactness. M. Guizot, in 
“ Revue des deux Mondes’’ for September 1, 1860, 
wrote that his study of Gibbon’s “ Roman Empire” had 
impressed him, “not only with the moral and social 
grandeur of Christianity, but with the difficulty of ex- 
plaining it by purely human forces and causes.” And 
so manifestly straightforward and honest are the evan- 
gelists in their written testimony that the difficulty re- 
ferred to by the brilliant Frenchman is increased a 
hundred-fold, and apparently leaves us no other alterna- 
tive than to acknowledge the supernatural origin of our 
historical religion. TO DEVELOP THIS PRESUMPTION TO 
POSITIVE CONVICTION IS THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT 
ARGUMENT. } 

Regarding the composition of the Gospels, various 
theories are in circulation ; and though the correctness 
or erroneousness of any of them cannot seriously affect 
the results of this discussion, for the sake of coherence 
and clearness they ought at least to be recognized. 


IZ20 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


It is maintained by certain eminent critics that a 
considerable portion of the material entering into the 
contents of three of these documents must have been 
derived from acommon source. There are agreements, 
exact parallels in form of statement and expression, 
which seem explicable only on the hypothesis that the 
authors drew from some general fund and superadded 
their own individual experiences and observations. 
Holtzmann contends that “at bottom. all Gospels rest 
on the oral tradition,” and claims that “ it is nowadays 
an accepted position that the oral tradition must be 
considered the ultimate basis of the entire gospel litera- 
ture.” He explains that this tradition being continually 
repeated, at last assumed a stereotyped character, and 
was then recorded from memory, modified and enriched 
by the personal knowledge and idiosyncrasies of each 
evangelist.! Westcott, likewise, holds to this hypoth- 
esis, and has done much to popularize it among 
scholars.2- But’ grave objections lie against it. No 
one questions the representation that oral preaching 
and teaching preceded any manuscript account of 
our Lord’s life; but it is still doubted whether the 
Gospels derived what is common to them from that 
source exclusively, or from some previous document 
accessible alike to their authors. It is difficult to 
conceive that the agreement so verbally exact could 
have been preserved by the mere repetition of spoken 
discourse. Hence Eichhorn (1794) taught that at 
least three of the evangelical histories were not 
based on floating reports, but on a primary version 


1Holtzmann’s “‘ Einleitung und die Synoptischen Evangelien.”’ 
2See Introduction. 


THRE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY I21 


supposed to have been written by Matthew in Hebrew, 
and referred to by the Fathers. Sympathizers with this 
view have either held that this primary Gospel has per- 
ished or has expanded into the book now extant and 
bearing the name of this eminent disciple. That there 
was some common stock on which the apostles en- 
grafted their individual reminiscences seems indispu- 
table. To a great extent they not only relate the 
same incidents, but at times employ the same language, 
sentences, paragraphs, presenting examples of absolute 
verbal identity. This is explicable on the supposition 
that they copied from some one existing authentic nar- 
rative to which they could readily appeal. It has been 
more than hinted that they borrowed from each other, 
probably Matthew and Luke transcribing from Mark ; 
for there are critics who deny the priority of Matthew, 
to which I have alluded, and who hold to the opinion, in 
which I share, that Mark’s Gospel is the oldest of the three 
which are usually classified together as “ synoptical.” 
Dr. Marcus Dods on this point has said : 


The approximation of Mark to the original written Gospel 
is one of the most generally accepted findings of modern criti- 
cism. It has been shown almost to demonstration by Holtz- 
mann, and scholars like Sanday and Salmon agree in this par- 
ticular with him. Salmon concludes his very instructive discus- 
sion with affirming his belief that all drew from a common 
source ; which, however, is represented with most verbal exact- 
ness in St. Mark’s version.—/ntroduction to the New Testament. 


But whether Mark, with his colleagues, made extracts 
from a previously compiled biography of Jesus, or was 
himself drawn on by the others, or whether Matthew is 


entitled to the primacy in this respect, or all of them 
L 


122 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


derived a portion of their material from oral traditions 
being repeated in similar phraseology, it is clear that 
having been eye-witnesses of what they relate, and 
having had personal knowledge of what they report, 
and having verified the common data by their own in- 
dividual experiences and observations, they were per- 
fectly competent to furnish a satisfactory account of 
the beginnings of Christianity. No such problem as 
this is presented by the epistolary literature of the 
New Testament. These famous communications, to 
the number of twenty-one, were called forth by the 
special needs of churches and individuals ; and those 
penned by Paul are the most venerable documents of 
the Christian epoch. They were all composed at a 
very early date, probably the Pauline correspondence 
commencing about the year 53 A. D., and the others 
following rapidly. Renan says, “ The First of Peter is 
one of the writings of the New Testament, which are 
the most anciently and the most unanimously cited as 
authentic.” 1 These epistles are not biographies. They 
were not designed to furnish a life of Christ. But they 
confirm every essential feature of gospel history. They 
dwell on the incarnation, the crucifixion, resurrection, 
and ascension, and proceed on the assumption that 
these great facts were undisputed. They witness only 
indirectly to the real source of our faith, but none 
the less conclusively; for they are the unpremedi- 
tated corroboration of all that is set forth in the four 
evangels. 

No one will question but that the books of the New 
Testament contain the testimony of the primitive 


lL’ Antichrist, p. 7. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 123 


church to Christianity; and probably none will have 
the temerity to deny that if they can be proven genu- 
ine, that is, written by the authors to whom they are 
ascribed, it will be a comparatively easy matter to 
show that they are authentic, or in other words, are 
entirely credible and trustworthy. The determination 
of these two mooted points is necessary to the validity 
of my present argument, and is, in a sense, the very 
essence and substance of the argument itself. And we 
ought to be grateful that there has been developed of 
late years so admirable an instrument for the intelligent 
investigation of such issues as historical criticism, to 
which we can appeal for assistance in pursuing these 
inquiries. 3 

This science is one of the youngest and noblest, and 
included among its founders Pouilly and Beaufort in 
France, and Niebuhr and Miiller in Germany, of whom 
the one best known in America is probably Niebuhr, 
who died in 1830. At the first it excited the warmest 
expectations, and in a measure it has fulfilled them, 
Its original principles were in the main so reasonable, 
and its method so logical, and its temper so modest, 
that it was esteemed capable of conferring priceless 
benefits on the Republic of Letters. On the threshold 
of its career it more than justified these hopes. It gave 
to the world a new antiquity—an antiquity stripped of 
manifold absurdities, mistakes, and positive fabrications 
which had accumulated in the course of ignorant cen- 
turies. The criteria it formulated served to correct 
wrong ideas of former civilizations, and in addition 
helped to free the Gospels themselves from interpola- 
tions and unwarranted readings which had affected 


I24 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


their integrity ; and more than all went far toward estab- 
lishing their true date and authorship. Moreover, his- 
torical criticism has rescued the New Testament from 
the hands of rationalists, symbolists, and semi-infidel 
theologians. It has shown, if the volume is to rank as 
an authority and not as a tissue of mystical speculations, 
that it must be interpreted grammatically, according 
to the manifest meaning of language, and not accord- 
ing to some recondite sense read gratuitously into the 
text. The time has past when it is possible for a man, 
if he is reasonably honest and intelligent, to juggle 
himself into the belief that he can reject and accept 
the Gospels with the same breath; can accept what 
pleases him as literal, and reject what is. offensive to 
him, é. g., the miracles or the atonement, by the easy 
process of making them stand for something he has 
arbitrarily invented or sentimentally imagined. Strauss 
never wrote more worthily or more soundly than when 
he said: “The only genuine and honest meaning of the 
term ‘Redeemer’ is that in which it designates the 
God-Man sacrificing himself for the sins of the world. 
The expression is derived from the notion of expiatory 
sacrifice; to use it in any other sense is a deceptive 
game of words,—a game of which I myself was once 
guilty, but which on clearer insight, I long ago aban- 
doned.”! And the same rebuke is equally deserved 
by those who are anxious to get rid of miracles, 
and who in the interest of their preconception 
twist and torture the stories of such events into 
the most extravagant shapes. The endeavor of 
Paulus to prove that the wonder at the marriage in 


1** Die Halben,” etc., p 47. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 125 


Cana was only a wedding illusion and jest; that our 
Lord never walked on the sea, but only on its shores ; 
that the transfiguration was only the play of refracted 
light from the snowy sides of Mount Hermon; and 
that the angels of the resurrection were merely two 
white-robed Essenes who had wandered early in the 
day to Jesus’ tomb, historical criticism condemns, with 
the euhemerising principles of Eichhorn, the eclectic 
Christologies of Schleiermacher, and the ideal fictions 
of Baur to the lumber closet of worn-out and dilapidated 
schemes and hypotheses. It will have nothing to do 
with pious evasions, prevarications, and downright 
fabrications. The Gospels cannot be historical and 
unhistorical at the same time. If they are unhistorical 
then they are quite independent of historical criticism, 
and are incapable of historical proof, which is the same 
as to say that their meaning must always be indefinite 
and their trustworthiness uncertain. But if they are 
historical, then alleged miracles must be dealt with as 
other recorded events, and as a whole they must be 
tried and tested in such a way as to establish their 
authentic character or expose their fraudulent preten- 
sions. We ought to be thankful that the issue has 
been thus narrowed. No longer is it apparently inevita- 
ble that a man must choose between idiocy or infidelity 
—the idiocy of rationalism ; for now there is in reality 
only one question open to discussion, and that purely 
concerns the authorship and authority of the New 
Testament canon. 

While this science has wrought nobly in the interests 
of truth, and has much more to accomplish in the 
same direction, it has not been altogether faithful to 


126 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the promises of its youth. When legitimately applied 
it is still worthy of encouragement ; but when its prin- 
ciples are perverted and its capabilities are exaggerated 
it then becomes a means of immeasurable mischief. It 
has of late been thus abused. What may be termed 
a spurious historical criticism has come to the front in 
recent years which has dealt largely in assertions, has 
created arbitrary canons of judgment, and has failed in 
loyalty to philosophy and common sense. Though in 
some respects resembling the original, this pseudodox 
in criticism betrays its true character by its dogmatism 
and reckless radicalism. Of this it has given evidence 
in its treatment of the New Testament. Professing 
only admiration for its teachings, the pretended friend 
has employed splvents so powerful that the elimination 
of alleged impurities has involved the destruction of 
the entire body in which they dwelt. Its despotic in- 
quisitorial surveillance has been so remorselessly ex- 
ercised, and its rack and thumbscrew have been so cru- 
elly and blindly applied as to give rise to the suspicion 
that but little of an authentic nature, and that little 
only of doubtful value, remains of past ages, and that 
our own achievements, however faithfully the annalist 
may record them, must in the course of years be veiled 
in hopeless obscurity. The personality of Homer long 
ago suffered from this destructive spirit, and, as Glad- 
stone has shown, without sufficient reason; and as to 
Shakespeare, if Ignatius Donnelly and his sympathizers 
are to be trusted, it is very questionable whether .he 
ever had any personality to lose. A guide in Switzer- 
land who had caught the contagion of this incredulity, 
while leading me through the scenes immortalized by 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY eee 


William Tell, had the effrontery to assure me that there 
never had been such a hero, and that his name merely 
stood for the aspirations of freemen, which ultimately 
emancipated the cantons. I am expecting to hear next 
that learned Scotchmen have dealt with the story of 
Wallace after the same fashion, and have shown that 
he never really lived, and was never more than a 
mythical figure symbolizing the antipathy of Scotland 
to English supremacy. Ah, me! Such, then, is fame! 
Such the motive to high endeavor! Inevitable oblivion, 
in the darkness of which coming savants will discuss 
whether the benefactor after all was anything more 
than a name, representing an idea, which benighted 
superstition clothed with the form of individuality. 
Thus Abraham Lincoln two thousand years hence may 
become to that enlightened era a myth denoting the 
great mind-force, the sovereignty of the intellectual 
over the material, by which the deliverance of the 
humbler orders of society was accomplished in the 
nineteenth century. In the presence of this intolerance 
toward men and events that were conspicuous in ancient 
times, it is not surprising that historical criticism of 
this corrosive type should have pursued the same exter- 
minating policy when dealing with the records of primi- 
tive Christianity. 

It has shown them no special favor, and in some ex- 
treme instances has treated them with a devastating 
rancor that has its parallel only in the fire and sword 
of Timourand Zingis, or in the reckless destructiveness 
of Attila, who boasted that grass never grew where his 
horse’s feet had trodden. And certainly very little 
verdure and fruitage of grace can survive in a soul that 


128 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


has abandoned itself to the merciless tramping of iron- 
hoofed criticism. The primary assault of this perverted 
science is against miracles. Among its cherished dicta 
we have the following: “History ends where miracles 
begin”; “no supernatural account can be admitted, 
for either credulity or deception is at the bottom of 
it”; “and the task of history is to resolve what is 
miraculous into what is natural.” These are sayings 
culled from the works of Baur, Strauss, and Zeller, and 
they find ready acceptance with many who have not 
reflected on their inconsistency. They prejudge the 
very question in debate and decide it, not according to 
evidence, but according to preconception and arrogant 
fancy. For if these assertions are to be received as a 
basis of judgment, then the sacred writings, claiming to 
have been influenced by the supernatural and to chroni- 
cle deeds of the supernatural are self-condemned. But 
instead of submitting, believers in the Gospels must 
retaliate in the words of M. Littré, who will not be 
suspected of prejudice, “that the man is unfitted for 
historic investigation who would have any fact other 
than it is”; and to this may be added, that “the im- 
possibility of miracles,” so far from being axiomatic is 
challenged as peremptorily to-day as ever in the past. 
The issue is not settled, and to proceed coolly on the 
supposition that it is, and that it has been decided in 
favor of naturalism, is merely one of those high-handed 
methods for which the foes of Christianity are unhap- 
pily distinguished. And that there is even something 
of a presumption on the side of the supernatural may, 
I think, be inferred from the altogether unworthy expe- 
dients adopted to explain it away, especially when it 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 129 


appears in the New Testament. For instance, what 
shall be said to the following from Renan: 

Thoroughly persuaded that Jesus was a worker of miracles, 
Lazarus and his two sisters may have aided the performance of 
one; aS so many pious men, convinced of the truth of their 
religion, have sought to triumph over human obstinacy by means 
of the weakness of which they were well aware. . . As to Jesus, 
he had no more power than St. Bernard or St. Francis d’Assisi 
to moderate the avidity of the multitude and of his own disciples 
for the marvelous. Death, moreover, was in a few days to re- 
store to him his divine liberty, and to snatch him from the fatal 
necessities of a character which became every day more exacting, 
more difficult to sustain. —Lzfe of Jesus, Pp. 903, 3704. 


That is, for the sake of escaping from belief in the 
miraculous we are to discredit Christ and make him out 
to be a being with as little moral fibre as honesty. We 
are asked to believe one miracle, namely, that the 
Author of Christianity and the source of truth and 
purity to millions was a vulgar charlatan and cheat ; 
and this outrage is perpetrated that another and a lesser 
miracle may be invalidated. Surely such desperate 
shifts must go far toward convincing the thoughtful 
that however loudly criticism of the infidel kind may 
declare “the recognition of the impossibility of a miracle 
to be the first condition for every historical discussion 
of the evangelical history,” this momentous issue 
cannot be settled in any such doctrinaire fashion. 

And I sometimes imagine that its representatives are 
themselves half minded against their own confident 
assertions on this subject. The critics betray uneasi- 
ness, and are not quite certain themselves. Hence, 
they assail the Gospels at other points, a proceeding 
absolutely unnecessary if supernaturalism is impossible. 


130 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Why trouble to expose incidental errors if the founda- 
tion isa lie? The lie is not quite clear to this science, 
and consequently the Gospels are arraigned, and this 
would-be procurator-general of history cross-examines 
them, rather browbeats them as culprits instead of 
honoring them as witnesses; and having already pro- 
nounced sentence against them, it cites every sign of 
non-agreement, every variation of detail, and every inci- 
dent not fully explained by the story itself in vindica- 
tion of the harsh measures already taken. It then, 
having as it thinks undermined the citadel, dwells on the 
uncertainty, at the best, of historical evidence, which, 
as it compassionately points out, is affected by time; 
for in the course of transmission it may be corrupted 
by passion, prejudice, and self-interest, and cannot be 
verified by direct experiment as mathematical and 
scientific evidence can; and must therefore always 
leave the issue in a state of more or less doubt. From 
all of which the logical inference is that there is no 
sure basis for Christianity, and that if men will insist 
on believing in it they must be content to do so on 
theauthority cof al ‘perhaps a) Dher “perhans aamig 
sneeringly conceded in amiable consideration of the 
weakness of human nature. Any thoughtful man can 
readily perceive how ineffectual and barren a religion 
that must be which rests on no better foundation. A 
summer cloud drifting against the Rocky Mountains 
would have brighter prospect of leveling them to the 
ground than such an insubstantial and phantom Faith 
of prevailing against the godlessness of self-satisfied 
and self-glorifying ages. No sane man ought to be 
contented with this polite “perhaps,” but ought to 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 131 


take steps to assure himself whether in truth there is 
aught sufficiently reliable on which the soul may safely 
build immortal hopes. 

It is not to be denied that the bitterness and per- 
sistence of these attacks have brought historical 
criticism into ill repute with many Christian people. 
They do not want to hear it so much as once named in 
their presence; and when it is, can hardly refrain from 
querying whether any good thing ever came out of such 
a Nazareth. But they on their part must not be un- 
reasonable. They may also be guilty of injustice and 
prejudice. Significant in this connection is Dean Stan- 
ley’s report of a visit to Ewald: “It is impossible to 
forget the noble enthusiasm with which this dangerous 
heretic, as he was regarded in England, grasped the 
small Greek Testament which he had in his hand as 
we entered, and said: ‘In this little book is contained 
all the wisdom of the world’; and to that grand confes- 
sion of the great German biblical scholar all spiritual 
history says ‘Amen.’”’ Good things do come out of 
Nazareth; and as textual criticism, as represented by 
Ewald, may venerate the word of God and faithfully 
labor to render its meaning clearer, so historical criti- 
cism may lay a surer and broader foundation on which 
to rest its stupendous claims than can well be laid 
without its aid. That it has thus advanced the cause 
of truth, notwithstanding its frequent desertions to the 
other side, will, I am persuaded, be apparent from its 
contributions toward an intelligent and convincing 
argument in support of the genuineness and authen- 
ticity of the New Testament writings. 

Occasionally we hear it said that the authorship 


132 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


of the evangelical documents cannot be ascertained. 
Strauss and Baur fixed as the date of their appearance 
in religious literature from a century to a century and 
a quarter after the crucifixion of Jesus. The favorite 
position of modern skeptics is that the Gospels did not 
come into existence until about the second half of the 
second century. If such is the fact, then their author- 
ship remains an unsolved problem ; and only one thing 
is certain, that as they assume to have been written 
by eye-witnesses of the scenes recorded, to whom the 
churches from the outset imputed them, they are so 
mixed up with fraud as to be absolutely untrustworthy. 
To rescue them from so grave a suspicion it becomes 
necessary to prove that they were penned by the men 
to whom they are now ascribed, and at a time compati- 
ble with their claim to have been themselves contem- 
poraneous with our Lord and the events of his min- 
istry ; for only in this way can the first and simplest 
condition of historical credibility be fulfilled. Says 
Sir G. C. Lewis, an authority on this subject : 


Historical evidence, like judicial evidence, is founded on the 
testimony of credible witness. Unless these witnesses had per- 
sonal and immediate perception of the facts which they report, 
unless they saw and heard what they undertook to relate as 
having happened, their evidence is not entitled to credit. As 
all original witnesses must be contemporary with the events 
which they attest, it is a necessary condition for the credibility 
of a witness that he be a contemporary ; though a contemporary 
is not necessarily a credible witness. Unless therefore an his- 
torical account can be traced by probable proof to the testimony 
of contemporaries, the first condition of historical credibility fails. 
—ZIntro. to Early Roman History, Vol. L., p. 10. 


Consequently, it is absolutely imperative, if we are 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 133 


to have any measure of confidence in the narrative 
recorded in the Gospels, that we should be able to 
prove that they were written by men who had personal 
knowledge of the events and incidents chronicled 
therein. 

It is a great point gained in favor of the apostolic 
authorship of these books that this view has the sup- 
port of what may be termed the voice of universal tra- 
dition. When a volume uninterruptedly through a 
long succession of years is attributed to a particular 
individual, the presumption is so strongly in his favor 
that criticism decides against any other hypothesis 
unless it can be substantiated by direct and positive 
evidence. Thus, when the literary world was startled 
by the daring theory of Wolf that the poet Homer did 
not write the works popularly ascribed to him, it was 
deemed sufficient to show, as Rawlinson has explained, 
however weighty the reasons for his singular opinion, 
they were not “on the whole strong enough to over- 
come the force of a unanimous tradition.” And on 
what is practically a similar unanimous belief trans- 
mitted from the venerable past, in no age of which has 
any other general belief prevailed, rests primarily the 
authorship of the men whose names are given to the 
several parts of the New Testament. There may be 
serious and perplexing difficulties in the way of this 
conclusion, and by over-coloring them they may easily 
come to be regarded as insuperable; but it is to be 
remembered that in reality they are not so formidable 
as those which shook the confidence of Wolf in the 
Homeric authorship. Neither are they of such weight, 


any more than his elaborate special pleadings were, to 
M 


134 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


overbalance the presumption of unanimous tradition. 
Nor should it be forgotten that the character of the 
testimony on which reliance is placed is the same in 
kind, and is fully as satisfactory as that which compels 
us to attribute “The Retreat of the Ten Thousand”’ 
to Xenophon ; “ The Annals” to Tacitus ; “The Plays”’ 
to Shakespeare, and the “ Paradise Lost” to Milton. 
The essential features of such testimony are admirably 
summed up by Prof. George Park Fisher in this brief 
extract from his “ Manual of Evidences,” chap. 7. 


The early reception of writings as genuine by those who 
had the means of knowing; . . the reference to them, or quo- 
tations from them, at a time when, if they were spurious, this 
fact could not have been concealed ; internal marks in the works 
themselves indicative of their authorship or date of composition— 
these are among the proofs on which we rely in determining the 
question of the origin of literary works. 


Accepting these criteria, it is for us to determine at 
what time the sacred documents, whose genuineness 
we are investigating, were in circulation; how soon 
and in what measure they were appealed to and cited 
in discourse and discussion ; and how far their alleged 
authors were credited with their production by those 
whose opinions are most entitled to respect. 

A fitting introduction to this inquiry is found in the 
following words from the pen of Andrews Norton, 
whose volume on “ The Genuineness of the Gospels” 
is deserving of much praise : 


About the end of the second century the Gospels were rev- 
erenced as sacred books by a community dispersed over the 
world, composed of men of different nations and languages. 
There were, to say the least, sixty thousand copies of them in 


Oe es Gee ee 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 135 


existence ; they were read in the churches of Christians ; they 
were continually quoted and appealed to as of the highest au- 
thority ; their reputation was as well established among believ- 
ers from one end of the Christian community to the other as it 
is at the present day among Christians in any country. But it is 
asserted that before that period we find no trace of their exist- 
ence ; and it is therefore inferred that they were not in common 
use, and but little known, even if extant in their present form. 
This reasoning is of the same kind as if one were to say that 
the first mention of the Egyptian Thebes is in the time of 
Homer. He indeed describes it as a city which poured a hun- 
dred armies from its hundred gates ; but his is the first mention 
of it, and therefore we have no reason to suppose that before 
his time it was a place of any considerable note.—Vol. 7, 


Pu l2}. 


That is, the widespread recognition of the sacred Gos- 
pels during the second half of the second century ne- 
cessitates the belief that they had existed for some 
time previously, and long enough to have acquired 
their remarkable influence. This point, so well taken 
by Mr. Norton, hardly needs strengthening ; and yet 
it may not be in vain to notice how fully it is con- 
firmed by Irenzeus, who was made bishop of Lyons 
about 177 A. D., in a remonstrance addressed to Flori- 
nus, a former pupil, and a wanderer from the truth. 
Bishop Lightfoot sums up in succinct form what this 
venerable father has to say on the preparation and 
preservation of the biographical books : 


He points out that the writings of the evangelists arose 
directly from the oral gospel of the apostles. He shows that 
the traditional teaching of the apostles has been preserved by a 
direct succession of elders, which in the principal churches can 
be traced man by man, and he asserts that this teaching accords 
entirely with the evangelical and apostolic writings. He main- 


136 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


tains on the other hand, that the doctrine of the heretics was of 
comparatively recent growth. He assumes throughout, not only 
that our four canonical Gospels alone were acknowledged in the 
church in his own time, but that this had been so from the begin- 
ning. His antagonists indeed accepted these same Gospels, 
paying especial deference to the fourth evangelist ; accordingly 
he argues with them on this basis. But they also superadded 
other writings to which they appealed, while heretics of a differ- 
ent type, as Marcion, for instance, adopted some one Gospel to 
the exclusion of all others. He urges therefore not only that 
tour Gospels alone have been handed down from the beginning, 
but that in the nature of things there could not be more or less 
than four.—Contemporary Review, August, 1876. 


In this latter part of his discussion we have no 
interest ; and it is not necessary that we follow it in 
its strange conceits. His testimony is explicit and 
direct on the one question that now engages our atten- 
tion. He himself not only subscribes to the apostolic 
origin of the Gospels, but declares that there never 
was a time since their appearance when the churches 
of Christ failed to do the same. 

Further evidence in confirmation of Irenzus we 
have in the works of yet earlier witnesses. Tertullian, 
within a hundred and fifty years of the last of the 
apostles, writes: “The authority of the apostolic 
churches supports the Gospels which we have re- 
ceived from them, and which we esteem just as they 
esteem them; I mean those of John and Matthew; 
that also which Mark published we may be allowed 
to call Peter’s; for Mark was his interpreter. In- 
deed . . . what the disciples published is regarded 
as coming from the Master.” A generation earlier 


1 Adv. Marcion, IV. S. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 137 


we discover Justin Martyr ardently defending the 
Christian religion. He seems to have been born near 
the close of the first century, and to have written about 
148 A.D. In his “ Apologies,” addressed to Antoninus 
Pius, and in his “ Dialogue” with Trypho the Jew, he 
derives materials for his object froma collection termed 
by him “ Memoirs of the Apostles,” ascribed by him to 
the apostles and their companions. In one place he 
designates them expressly as the Gospels, and _ his 
humerous quotations from them correspond exactly to 
passages contained in the latter. If, however, the 
identity of these documents is doubted, it can be sub- 
stantiated by reference to Tatian, a disciple of Justin, 
who combined the narratives of the four canonical 
books in a harmony, entitled “ Diatessaron.” This har- 
mony begins with the representations concerning the 
incarnation of the Word with which John opens his 
Gospel, and its whole course indicates beyond the 
possibility of cavil that the “ Memoirs” and the Gospels 
are one and the same. But we can go nearer even 
than this to the times of our Lord and find traces of 
the evangelical writings. Rawlinson («Historical Evi- 
dences ”’) makes very plain the fact that Barnabas, Cle- 
ment, and Hermas, who are mentioned in the Acts of 
the Apostles and the Epistles, with Polycarp the dis- 
ciple of John, frequently quote from these documents 
and refer to almost every part of them. He adds that 
while only excerpts from their works have survived, 
yet these contain upward of two hundred and twenty 
allusions more or less exact to the sacred volume. _In- 
deed, so abundant are these citations and references in 
early Christian literature, that it has been declared by 


138 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


more than one competent scholar, that were the origi- 
nals destroyed they could be substantially restored by 
collecting and collating these scattered texts and para- 
phrases. On the general subject of quotations, Mr. 
Isaac Taylor has brought to light a curious fact in a 
volume of his on “The Transmission of Ancient Books,”’ 
and it has been repeated and re-affirmed both by Paley 
and. Rawlinson. The statement is made by Mr. Taylor 
that classical productions are rarely cited or their 
authors distinctly named in literature within a hundred 
years of their appearance. Heroditus is only quoted 
once during the century following the publication of 
his history. There is a solitary allusion to him in 
Aristotle, and then he is forgotten apparently for half 
a millennium. Two hundred years elapse before Thucy- 
dides is mentioned, and even Tacitus is not directly 
referred to for a hundred years after his death, and 
then by Tertullian. This striking indifference to 
works of unquestioned value is in marked contrast 
with the treatment the books of the New Testament 
received. They were from their first appearance 
appealed to as authorities. Scarcely had they been 
put into circulation when Barnabas, Clement, Hermas, 
Polycarp, and others, who had been in personal touch 
with some one at least among their authors, enriched 
their own productions with precious gems from these 
treasures. And this was done so promptly and so rever- 
ently as to leave the impression not only that these 
priceless documents existed and were well known in 
the last quarter of the first century, but were assigned 
a rank by which they were distinguished from the 
other literature of the early church. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 139 


Endeavors have been made to break the force of this 
proof by suggesting the possibility that the books of 
the New Testament may have been prepared by un- 
known writers, and may then have been attributed to the 
apostles for the purpose of enhancing their authority. 
Of course, a great many things are possible that can 
hardly be accounted probable. And the supposition 
before us is unlikely and untenable unless we resort to 
that most incredible of all elucidations, namely, that 
Christianity portrayed in records and declarations is a 
deliberate and mischievous fraud. Before titles could 
have been affixed to Gospels and Epistles, the opinion 
must have prevailed that they represented the truth. 
The titles were evidently given because of this belief, 
and no adequate reason has ever been advanced for 
asserting that the belief was the result of the titles. 
Some of them are literal translations of the oldest 
Greek inscriptions, and nearly all of them were 
sanctioned by the most ancient of the councils. “The 
Muratorian Fragment,” recovered about one hundred 
and fifty years ago, bearing the name of its discoverer, 
the keeper of the Ambrosian Library at Milan, fur- 
nishes a list of manuscripts with the names of their 
reputed authors as they were received at the beginning 
of the Christian dispensation. It is claimed that St. 
Columbanus, an Irish missionary, about the year 600 
established a monastery in Northern Italy, and collected 
there many literary treasures. Among these was a 
venerable parchment prepared, as Tregelles has shown, 
“about A. D. 160, or earlier,” giving an interesting 
account of the Acts of the Apostles, and recognizing 
the genuineness of the four Gospels, and thirteen of 


I40 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Paul's Epistles. This is perhaps the first extant cata- 
logue of the component parts of the New Testament, 
and it was translated some hundred years after Colum- 
banus by another Irishman, and finally was brought to 
light by Muratori. There are no indications that this 
catalogue was prepared with any purpose of imposition. 
It is, so to speak, one of those fortuitous writings 
which are penned incidentally, as one might draw up a 
list of the world’s battles, or of Shakespeare’s dramas, 
simply chronicling interesting items currently received 
at the time. But lest it should still be argued that 
Christians, on account of their presumed theological 
bias, are not qualified to judge the probabilities of for- 
gery in such cases, and are disposed to accept the most 
dubitable testimony, we may be permitted to carry the 
question at issue to another court, and to one where 
manifestly the bias is against all that is most dear to 
the church and her members. I have already in this 
chapter, and in a preceding one, cited concessions to 
the genuineness of the Gospels from the pens of men 
who try to break the force of their admissions by 
denying the supernatural. Something more ought to 
be added in the same direction. The reader, however, 
ought to realize that he has no concern with the incon- 
sistencies of the eminent writers who may be appealed 
to, nor ought he to allow himself to be diverted from 
the real subject under discussion, which is not the 
credibility of miracles, but the genuineness of certain 
religious literature. 

Professor Keim, of Ziirich, in his critical “ Life of 
Jesus,” while he rejects the fourth Gospel on grounds 
psychological rather than historical, does not deny that 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY IAI 


Matthew’s Gospel “assumed substantially the form in 
which we now have it,” between 70 and 80 a. p.. The 
successor of Baur, as Keim has been termed, starts 
out with a preconception that vitiates much of his 
reasoning, but at the same time he is very far from 
sanctioning the vulgar theory of forgery. But per- 
haps Renan is the best representative, and the most 
popularly influential of adverse critics, and his views 
on the question we are considering are consequently 
proportionately significant. He says: 


We know that each of the four Gospels bears at its head 
the name of a personage known either in the apostolic history or 
in the gospel history itself. It is clear that if these titles are 
correct, these Gospels, without ceasing to be partly legendary, 
assume a high value, since they enable us to go back to the half 
century which followed the life of Jesus, and even in two cases 
to eye-witnesses of his actions. .. As to Luke, doubt is 
scarcely possible. The Gospel of St. Luke is a regular compo- 
sition founded upon earlier documents. . . the author is cer- 
tainly the same as the author of the Acts of the Apostles. . . 
The twenty-first chapter of St. Luke, which is inseparable 
from the rest of the work, was certainly written after the siege 
of Jerusalem, but not long after. 


(More likely, according to Marcus Dods, about the 
year 64 A.D.) Renan continues : 


We are therefore here on solid ground, for we are dealing 
with a work proceeding entirely from the same hand and pos- 
sessing the most complete unity. . . To sum up, I admit 
the four canonical Gospels asserious documents. All go back to 
the age which followed the death of Jesus. But their historical 
value is very diverse. St. Matthew evidently deserves peculiar 
confidence for the discourses. Here are ‘‘the oracles,’’ the 
very notes taken while the memory of the instruction of Jesus 
was living and definite. 


I42 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Furthermore: 


The Gospel of St. Mark is the one of the first three which has 
remained the most ancient, the most original, and to which the 
least of later additions have been made . . . There is nothing 
to conflict with the supposition that he was an eye-witness, who 
had evidently followed Jesus, who had loved him and watched 
him in close intimacy.—Life of Jesus, p. 48, ete. 


This testimony is certainly entitled to weight. M. 
Renan manifestly has no sympathy with the crude 
criticism that assumes a mischievous trick to have been 
perpetrated for the sake of foisting off as apostolic the 
so-called sacred documents. He believes the men to 
have written these documents to whom unanimous and 
unbroken tradition has imputed them. What Holtz- 
mann has said of the Gospel by Matthew, with little 
variation must hold good of the other evangels: “The 
early Church must have had some ground in facts for 
referring the first Gospel to this name .. . for with 
this exception, the person of Matthew is entirely in 
the background in the history of the apostolic Acca 
She must have had equally valid ground for ascribing 
the other books of the New Testament to the men 
who are respectively credited with them; for in no 
case were the authors glorified in or by their produc- 
tions, but rather and exclusively glorified the Christ. 
Suspicion, therefore, of their genuineness is absolutely 
gratuitous and unfair, and it ought never to be counte- 
nanced. It is unreasonable, unwarranted, and ungener- 
ous, and can only be entertained by minds unfamiliar 


on eeeereeeerememncnemme ene 


1“ Die Synoptischen Evangelein,” p. 350. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 143 


with the facts, or by minds not amenable to the evi- 
dence.! 

It is well known that many a genuine volume is not 
entirely trustworthy; and that, in some cases, the 
better acquainted we are with a writer and his method, 
the less confidence we have in his statements. Next, 
therefore, to the important line of inquiry we have fol- 
lowed arises another, and one of equal moment: Can 
we rely on the contents of the Gospels and Epistles as 
authentic? Are these veritable annals, as far as they are 
annals at all? “The History of the English People” 
we believe to have been written by Mr. Green, and con- 
sequently it is genuine; but is it authentic? does it 
relate the truth of the personages and movements it 
describes ? and does it on the whole give a correct im- 
pression of the country and times it professes. to re- 
produce? These are the questions we have a right to 
ask concerning the books of the New Testament. If 
the answer can be given in the affirmative, then the 
Argument from Testimony is conclusive, and the super- 
natural origin of Christianity is logically substantiated. 
In determining this issue, assistance may be obtained 
from the canons of historical criticism. And it 
will be remembered that on page 132 I quoted Sir 
G. C. Lewis as saying “that historical evidence, 
like judicial evidence, is founded on the testimony of 
credible witnesses.” _ What then constitutes credibility 
in witnesses? In a court of justice it would be meas- 


1See Dean Alford on ‘Gospels’; Westcott’s “Introduction ”’ 3; Marcus Dods’ 
“Introduction ”’ ; Bruce, ‘‘ The Kingdom of God” and “ Apologetics ’’ ; Weiss’ ‘‘ Ia- 
troduction to New Testament”; Fisher’s “Manual” ; Rawlinson’s ‘ Historica 
Evidence”; Dr. Sanday’s ‘‘ Bampton Lectures”; Salmon’s “ Introduction ” ; Wat- 
kins’ ‘‘ Modern Criticism and the Fourth Gospel.” 


144 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


ured by their natural ability, by their disinterestedness 
and sincerity, by their opportunities for obtaining infor- 
mation, and by their corroboration of each other, 
These criteria may be expressed in the five words: 
Contemporaneousness, Concurrence, Capability, Conscien- 
tiousness, and Confirmation—these or their synonyms. 
If the men who bear witness and reduce what they 
declare to writing were living at the time the events 
occurred which they record, and if they shared in them, 
and were sufficiently intelligent to observe clearly, and 
were indisputably honest enough to report accurately, 
and if their representations have been ratified by results 
over which they had no control, all judges of evidence, 
whether of judicial or historical evidence, declare that 
they are worthy of confidence and that their word must 
be accepted as true. Christians are perfectly willing 
that the apostles should be tried by these common-sense 
principles, confident that the issue will be entirely 
favorable to their trustworthiness, 

The argument for the genuineness of the productions 
ascribed to them proves that they were in personal 
touch with our Saviour, and were themselves partici- 
pants in what they relate. No one would take the pains 
to challenge the authorship of these documents were it 
not apparent that these men were intimate with Christ 
and familiar with the circumstances of his ministry ; 
for if they did not \live then, and if they did not see 
what they portray, assaults on their writings are idle in 
the extreme. That persons should have risen after the 
close of the first century, and claiming to have been 
eye-witnesses of what they penned, should have com- 
mitted their alleged experiences to paper, and should 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 145 


have succeeded in deceiving the community, not only 
as to their own age but as to the truth of their narra- 
tive, is simply inconceivable. If it were possible that 
they were not so young but that they might have 
some knowledge of the things they reported, neither 
could all the people have been so old but that they 
could easily have verified or exposed their statements ; 
and on either supposition, succeeding generations have 
sufficient reason to assume that they have not been vic- 
timized by impositions. This confidence is strengthened 
by comparing the Gospels with the swarm of pseudo 
histories of Christ which appeared during the second 
century. In the latter period, zeal exhausts its inven- 
tiveness in absurdly extravagant stories, in ostentatious 
and wild supernaturalism, and with instances of conduct 
supposed to be divine, but which evince lack of moral 
purpose, and often display infirmity of temper. The 
difference between these books and the New Testament 
is discernible at a glance; it is the difference between 
fiction and fact. That the evangelists did not set an 
example to the later authors, and that no resemblance 
can be traced between them, suggests that the former 
drew on what they had personally seen and heard for 
the material they employ, and that the others, the 
Apocryphalists, drew on their imagination; and this 
difference goes far to prove that had the evangelists 
drawn on their imagination also the result would have 
been as turgid, romantic, fanciful, and bombastic. The 
sober and sturdy simplicity of the Gospels, and the 
manifest restraint and curb in all their delineations, are 
internal marks of an origin utterly irreconcilable with 


theories of fabrication perpetrated by individuals living 
N 


146 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


remote from the times and incidents they depict. 
These internal marks are such as to prove that they 
were composed by men who were contemporaries with 
Jesus and his immediate disciples. 

And I think the same may be legitimately inferred 
from the exactness of detail preserved in their various 
works. In narrating the wonderful incidents of our 
Lord’s life they unhesitatingly give the name of the 
town, village, or district where they are said to have 
occurred. Sometimes the effect wrought on the people 
of the locality specified by the marvel reported is very 
minutely described. No exposure or denial seems to 
have been apprehended; and yet what more likely if 
the accounts so circumstantially related failed to be 
corroborated by the recollections or the accepted tra- 
- ditions of the neighborhood? ‘The inhabitants of 
secluded, monotonous, and almost stagnant commu- 
nities of the East would not easily forget any disclosure 
of supernatural power, and the story of the unusual 
sensation would pass on to the next generation and 
would become a permanent memory. If the extra- 
ordinary events published so positively in the name of 
the apostles had never taken place, and if they had 
never been reported until some thirty or sixty years 
after the date of their alleged occurrence, they must 
surely have been repudiated by these communities. 
But if they were denied, how are we to account for the 
rapid spread of Christianity, and how did the indi- 
viduals who gave currency to these stories escape the 
charge of trickery? But, on the other hand, if these 
astounding tales did obtain credence, and that they did 
is absolutely sure, even in the localities with which they 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 147 


were originally associated, it must have been because 
they were verified by the reminiscences of people living 
there. Everything is simple and comprehensible on 
the supposition that their authors were personally con- 
versant with what they recorded, and that the com- 
munities named had knowledge, not only of the things 
performed, but of the men who preserved them in the 
histories they wrote. We think then from these con- 
siderations, we are safe in concluding that the Gospels 
were penned by those who were contemporaneous with 
our Lord. 

Dr. Albert Barnes (“Ely Lectures’) thus defines a 
recognized principle in the science of criticism: “The 
historic statement of an event is what it is reported to 
be by all who witnessed it, and who have made a record 
in regard to it; not the statement of an individual.” 
On the same subject, Bishop Butler writes: “ Probable 
proofs by being added, not only increase the evidence, 
but multiply it”; or as Rawlinson explains it : “ When 
two independent writers witness the same event, the 
probability of that event is increased, not in an arith- 
metical, but in a geometrical ratio; not by mere addi- 
tion, but by multiplication.” The conviction, therefore, 
produced by the apostles should deepen proportionately 
to their number. Their evidence is cumulative, and it 
reaches, as near as such evidence can, to demonstration, 
because they are independent of each other and yet 
substantially agree in their testimony. ‘In the mouth 
of two witnesses shall every word be established,” is an 
old law sanctioned alike by religion and the world’s 
jurisprudence, But here we have four, and even more 
if we include the weighty words of Paul, Peter, James, 


148 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


and Jude in the epistles; and their concurrence is of 
the highest value in removing every suspicion of mis- 
representation. It has, however, been objected that, 
as at least three of the evangelists correspond so ex- 
actly in some parts of their narrative that verbally and 
grammatically they are identical, their independence 
must always be open to debate. This identity of 
phraseology and of treatment we have already fully 
recognized ; but we may with safety hold that, however 
these writers may have availed themselves of a common 
source of information, there is no sufficient reason to 
regard them as mere servile copyists, or as really ex- 
posing themselves to the charge of unjustifiable collu- 
sion. After an exhaustive review of the whole subject, 
Dean Alford testifies to their freedom from anything 
like literary conspiracy. His conclusion is: 


That the synoptic Gospels contain the substance of the apos- 
tles’ testimony, collected principally from their oral teaching 
current in the church; partly also from written documents em- 
bodying portions of that teaching; that there is, however, no 
reason from their internal structure to believe, but every reason to 
disbelieve, that any one of the three evangelists had access to 
either of the other two Gospels in its present form.—/Prolegomena, 


LEER 


That is, their freedom of thought and expression is 
not diminished by a supposed previous appeal to exist- 
ing records. While they doubtless consulted whatever 
documents bore on the history they were about to pre- 
pare, when they came to commit the results of their 
inquiries to writing they were unhampered by one an- 
other and uninfluenced by mutual agreement. That 
they were independent and preserved their independ- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 149 


ence in the composition of their books is evident from 
the reflections of Irenzeus : 


Now Matthew published his treatise on the gospel among the 
Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preach- 
ing in Rome and founding the church there. But after their 
death, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, also wrote 
down what Peter had preached, and delivered it unto us. And 
Luke also, the follower of Paul, wrote out in a book the gospel 
which was preached by that apostle. Afterward John, the 
disciple of the Lord, who also leaned upon his breast, he too 
published a Gospel, while he was living at Ephesus, in Asia. 
—Advers. Heres, Vol. I1l., p. Tf. 


Thus then at different times, in different places, and 
in various circumstances, these men wrote, giving no 
occasion for the impeachment of their independence or 
integrity. Ought we not likewise to consider whether 
the critics are not altogether too exacting in their de- 
mands, when they expect the evangelists to decline 
assistance from all sources of information lest they 
should be suspected of bondage to others. May we 
not remember and apply in this connection what Dr. 
Clifford has so wisely and beautifully said: 


Little, vain-glorious souls are afraid of citing the works of 
others, lest somebody should presume to think they themselves 
are not absolutely original. Really capable minds instead of 
shrinking from quotation, delight in it. One who is rarely, if 
ever, surpassed in the beauty and finish of his style, or the fine- 
ness of his thought, says: ‘‘The greatest is he who has been 
oftenest aided,’’ and Ruskins’ own words are sown with allu- 
sions and quotations like the sky with stars. Another (Emer- 
son), who in my judgment is the freshest and most suggestive 
thinker this century has seen, has, according to his biographer, 
nearly four thousand allusions to or quotations from eight 
hundred and sixty-eight different individuals; and he says: 


I50 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


‘All minds quote. Old and new make the warp and woof of 
every moment. There is no thread that is not a twist of these 
two strands. By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we 
all quote.’’—Juspiration and Authority of the Bible, p. VER 


If the human mind is constituted in this manner, what 
more natural than that men, anxious rather to tell the 
truth than to be counted original, should seek out what- 
ever had been authentically said on the great theme 
they were desirous of treating faithfully and well, and 
reproducing it, give to the world the benefit of the 
testimony borne by others, ratified and confirmed by 
their own. 

Their freedom from servility and collusion is again 
proven, indirectly but at the same time convincingly, by 
their occasional deviation from each other and variance 
of representation, If they had planned together, and 
copied each other with the intent of practising decep- 
tion, they surely would have taken pains to guard 
against the appearance of discrepancies. This, how- 
ever, they have not succeeded in doing; and hence 
they have created the impression that they were not 
anxious to do any such thing, but wrote freely as truth- 
loving, honest men. But if they differ from each other 
in some of their statements, it is intimated by the 
hypercritical, who are bound if possible to break down 
their trustworthiness, that their testimony is hardly to 
be relied on. In this way the ground of objection is 
changed. At first the evangelists are censured because 
they do agree too closely in the narratives they give, 
and then they are condemned because they fail to 
agree in every particular. Such criticisms are paltry, 
trivial, and futile. Paley very happily rebukes this dis- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY ISI 


position to exaggerate the significance of what is at 
most only a slight departure from perfect accord: 


I know not a more rash or unphilosophical conduct of the 
understanding than to reject the substance of a story by reason 
of some diversity in the circumstances with which it is related. 
The usual character of human testimony is substantial truth 
under circumstantial variety. This is what the daily experiences 
of courts of justice teach. When accounts of a transaction come 
from the mouth of different witnesses, it is seldom that it is not 
possible to pick out apparent or real inconsistencies between 
them. These inconsistencies are studiously displayed by an 
adverse pleader, but often with little impression on the minds 
of the judges. 


For instance, if several individuals professing to write 
an authentic history of Mohammed, should prefix to 
their separate volumes a different genealogy of their 
hero, their productions on that ground would not be 
rejected as unreliable. As their main and principal 
purpose was to describe the prophet himself as he was 
seen and known by themselves, a catalogue of his 
ancestors, while an important adjunct, would not be 
regarded as indispensable to success. Were they to 
err in their report of the latter it would not invalidate 
what they deposed concerning the former; for in the 
one case they had to depend on information furnished 
by others, which in the nature of things they could not 
verify, while in the other they gave the results of their 
own experience and observation. Moreover, they might 
simply have adhered to accounts supplied by the family 
of the great Arabian, pronouncing no opinion on their 
accuracy, and different branches of the family may have 
chosen to trace his ancestry along distinct chains of 


152 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


succession. But their evidence as to the leading 
features and substance of the story would not in any 
wise be invalidated by the seeming discrepancies in 
the preface. 

It is well known that Matthew and Luke are not at 
one in the genealogical tree they draw when giving the 
Saviour’s ancestry. The fact need not be concealed, 
and indeed cannot be. Were we fully conversant with 
the principle on which each of these tables was con- 
structed, we would doubtless find them reconcilable 
with each other. There doubtless were reasons of 
immediate and local weight for their insertion just 
as they are in the Gospels; but really to us the 
precision of these lists is of no particular import- 
ance. An absolutely correct summary of our Lord's 
forefathers according to the flesh, is after all, no 
part of the life which Christ lived. Defects in the 
genealogy may reveal the finiteness and limitations of 
the writers, but they do not bring into doubt the solid 
worth or the truth of the histories they prepare. And 
certainly their aversion to stereotyped narratives, their 
faithfulness to their own impressions, and their habit 
of describing what they saw from their own point of 
view and with no solicitude for the preservation of 
harmony ought to rescue them from the imputations 
of collusion. At least they were independent men, and 
to every mind not hopelessly warped by prejudice, they 
must seem to be only anxious to tell a straight story, 
without circumlocution or artifice, and without any nice 
regard for its complete conformity to what some other 
individual might possibly testify. Their variations, and 
at times the quality of the Greek they employ, with 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 153 


their Jewish notions of geography, ethnology, and 
theology, only prove that they were men of their age 
imbued with its tastes, traditions, and tendencies, 
and not that they were careless or indifferent to the 
solemnity of the task they had undertaken to perform. 
As we read their testimony we perceive at a glance the 
marks of their individuality ; and we ought to be grate- 
ful that they are there, as they are guarantees that they 
have not combined to impose on us. And as we read, 
we must further discern the fact that they relate the 
very same story; that their hero is one; and one the 
description of his ministry with its tragical climax ; for 
which also we should be thankful, as we have in this 
the warrant that, if in the mouth of two witnesses every 
word shall be established, then their word has been 
established beyond a peradventure. 

The capability and the conscientiousness of the 
apostles are rarely called in question, and when they 
are it is done rather in the way of timid insinuation 
than of bold and positive assertion. Their common 
sense and sagacity are so conspicuous, and _ their 
honesty so palpable, that critics are somewhat over- 
awed ; and we need not therefore undertake to defend 
what is not seriously attacked. Yet it should be re- 
membered that these witnesses for the sake of their 
testimony endured manifold trials and afflictions and 
the loss of all things. They were hunted, persecuted, 
and treated as the scum of the earth, and by their 
patience and steadfast loyalty afforded every needed 
proof of guileless sincerity. On any other supposition 
than that they were blameless in thought and purpose, 
it is incredible that they should have given to literature 


154 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


such a character as that of Jesus, or such a morality as 
that which gleams on their pages and beautifies them. 
“ Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet 
water and bitter?’’ Would time-servers and plotters, 
insincere and superstitious individuals, be likely to extol 
such a being as Jesus, yea, even devise and invent him,— 
for they must have invented him if he did not really 
exist,—that in this manner they might perpetrate a fraud 
which in a little while would give the church control of 
humanity? But how could they have foreseen that 
such an invention as this, so foreign to all the ideals of 
their age, would ever become potent to govern man- 
kind? If they did imagine that it would, then we have 
the greatest paradox in history: men of no particular 
integrity and of no high chivalric sense of devotion to 
truth, and with no instances of success to recall and 
encourage them, bringing into existence a conception of 
spiritual perfection, in which they could not believe 
and with which they had no sympathy, and sending it 
forth with the expectation that it would master and 
rule the nations. Incompetent persons could not have 
done this, and dishonest persons, whose natures loved 
deceit and fraud, would not. But the conception sur- 
vives and it reigns over a large part of modern society ; 
and we are compelled to regard it as the picture of a 
marvelous original, and itself in its turn, a witness to 
the uprightness and incorruptibility of the men who 
transferred its living features to their immortal pages. 

Occasionally it is whispered that the intelligence of 
the apostles must have been misled by excessive cre- 
dulity ; for not unlikely, as in the case of other gifted 
minds, they were not impregnable to the inroads of 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY E55 


Superstition. This charge, however, has never been 
substantiated. Credulous men do not question, halt, 
sift, doubt, and argue as they did. Our Lord complains 
of their slowness to believe and of their reluctance to 
trust even the evidences of their senses. Their entire 
course is marked by a kind of obstinacy, as though 
they were eternally on their guard against illusion, and 
as though they were thoroughly minded not to accept 
anything unsupported by indubitable proof. If in 
reply it shall be said again, as it has been said before, 
that the age and country in which they lived were non- 
critical and easily duped by thaumaturgical pretensions, 
and that it could hardly have been possible for the dis- 
ciples, however intelligent for their day, to have risen 
superior to the prevailing spirit, we may be permitted 
to make answer that the underlying assumption is un- 
tenable, as it can be shown that while multitudes were 
simple and superstitious, the era itself was peculiarly 
suspicious and skeptical. Dr. Edersheim gives a pic- 
ture of Jerusalem in the times of Jesus, which discloses 
a state of society more like what may be found at 
present in London, Paris, and New York than is usu- 
ally imagined. He writes graphically, giving an author- 
ity for every statement he makes: 


These Jerusalemites—townspeople as they called themselves 
—were so polished, so witty, so pleasant. . . And how much 
there was to be seen and heard in those luxuriously furnished 
houses and at those sumptuous entertainments! Inthe women’s 
apartments friends from the country would see every novelty in 
dress, adornments, and jewelry, and have the benefit of examin- 
ing themselves in looking glasses. . . Lady visitors might get 
anything in Jerusalem, from a false tooth to an Arabian veil, a 


156 ‘THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Persian shawl or an Indian dress.—Life and Times of Jesus the 
Messiah, Vol. I., p. 130. 


This is not the description of a community ignorant, 
pietistical, fanatical, and open to religious quackery ; 
but rather that of a people bright, keen, witty, incred- 
ulous, and given to free thinking, on whom it would be 
as difficult to make an impression as it is to fix the 
mind of our gilded social circles on serious things. 
Moreover, the teachers of this period were themselves 
cynically indisposed to believe in divine interpositions, 
or to tolerate interferences with the existing order of 
worship, which, though its heavenly origin might be 
quietly ridiculed, was an integral element of Jewish 
national life and hence to be preserved at all hazards. 
The Sadducees had gone so far in the direction of 
doubt as to reject alike the doctrines of immortality 
and supernaturalism, while the Pharisees were censori- 
ously bigoted and intrepidly opposed to changes in 
creed or rite. These were not the kind of persons to 
foster credulity. The spiritual atmosphere they would 
create, would naturally be permeated with distrust, 
misgiving, hesitation, and extreme caution. On this 
subject, Rawlinson has written: 


The age was an historical age, being that of Dionysius, Dio- 
dorus, Livy, Velleius Paterculus, Plutarch, Valerius Maxiinus, 
and Tacitus. The country was one where written records were 
kept and historical literature had long flourished ; it produced 
at the very time when the New Testament documents were being 
written, a historian of good repute, Josephus, whose narrative of 
the events of his own time is universally accepted as authentic 
and trustworthy. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 157 


He Farther adds: 


We do not find that Simon Magus or Apollonius of Tyana had 
many followers. When the slave Clemens gave himself out to 
be Posthumus Agrippa, though the wishes of most men must 
have been in favor of his claims, very few appear to have really 
believed in them.—Aist¢. Evid., pp. 175, 221. 


No; the Gospels did not emanate from a stupid 
marvel-loving community in a credulous era. Far from 
it. The scientific spirit had made considerable progress 
through the labors of the Alexandrian School, and the 
acuteness of Grecian metaphysics and logic had so dis- 
ciplined and sharpened the intellect that impositions 
were not effected with facility. We have no right to 
disparage the acumen of the period. But if the age 
was as dull and superstitious as some of our rationalists 
affirm, and the apostles as uncritical as they assert, is 
it not exceeding strange that they should have written 
books, which when placed side by side with the pseudo 
Gospels, are distinguished for their freedom from trivial 
wonders and absurd miracles, and which the skeptics 
themselves allow, are entitled to most serious and re- 
spectful attention? Does it not seem as though the 
apostles were about as critical as their critics? And 
how can we account for the church, when compiling the 
canon, selecting out of the multiplied documents in cir- 
culation those which the keenest judge admits she 
ought to have chosen, and rejecting what every one 
concedes ought to have been set aside, if the times were 
undiscriminating and greedy for accounts of the mar- 
velous? The weight of evidence lies against this 


monstrous imputation ; and in the absence of proof to 
fo) 


158 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the contrary, we are warranted in concluding that, as 
the writers of the Gospels were men of pronounced 
sincerity and integrity, and were gifted with a calm, 
judicial, and cautious mind, their testimony is thor- 
oughly worthy of confidence. 

A final mark of authenticity remains to be noticed. 
It is one that lies beyond the power of interested 
parties to invent. Neither jugglery nor trickery can 
create it, and it is quite independent of the action of 
time upon its value. Indeed, the multiplication of 
years rather adds to its force than diminishes it in any 
sense. It partakes somewhat of the nature of circum- 
stantial evidence, and consists in incidents, events, 
movements, uncontrollable by human chicanery, and 
which fall out in such a way as to develop a presump- 
tion, stronger even than direct proof, that the testimony 
given in favor of the subject in debate is no longer 
open to challenge or suspicion. This is the potent 
corroboration and confirmation of what men have 
deposed, which, in its operation, is so convincing that 
very few minds can resist its action. It is in effect the 
reply of fact to theory, as though one arguing beauti- 
fully that the earth is a vast plain hung around with 
curtains should suddenly be confronted by a ship dis- 
appearing below the horizon, its top-spars being the 
last of it in view. If the reader will turn once more 
to chapters two and three of this volume, he will 
hardly fail to realize that the apostles could not have 
provided and arranged for history in its monuments and 
developments to confirm their word as it has done, and 
neither could they by any amount of scheming have 
made Christ the tremendous Religious Force that he 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 159 


has actually been in the world’s progress. These 
things, which they could by no means within reach 
have brought to pass, reflect back on their testimony 
and substantiate its representations. But in addition 
to what may be gathered from the historicity of Chris- 
tianity, and from the place and power of Jesus confirm- 
atory of the Gospels, there is one special and, on the 
whole, extraordinary instance of this kind of evidence, 
which has profoundly impressed mankind and which 
may here be cited on account of its cogency and 
decisiveness. I refer to the conversion of St. Paul. 
When a Hindu lad was placed for the first time 
beneath the dome of the great cathedral in London 
which bears the name of the apostle to the Gentiles, 
impressed by its majesty and magnitude, he inquired, 
wonderingly: “And did man make all this?” And 
when the significance of Paul’s spiritual transformation 
and of his heroic career is measured, it is more than 
difficult to believe that God was absent from his 
exalted experiences and devoted life. To me, I must 
confess, there is something suggestive and symbolic of 
his character and consecration in the magnificent 
structure reared by the genius of Sir Christopher Wren 
in the heart of the world’s metropolis. That sacred 
edifice, built on the site of a church destroyed in the 
fire of 1666, with its foundations sinking eighty feet 
into the ground, with its massive proportions, its tower- 
ing dome, its altars and its tombs, is no unfit nor un- 
worthy sign and emblem in stone of one who, having 
passed through a remarkable religious transition, 
rested all that he was and traced all that he became to 
a strength hidden deep in the unseen, and displayed a 


160 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


moral grandeur that lifted him up high above his con- 
temporaries. Renan has well said: “We cannot esti- 
mate the influence that his conversion must have had 
on the early church. Over the vast extent of the 
Roman Empire, Paul everywhere projects his shadow ”’ ; 
and Monod has declared that, “it has convinced men 
‘of the truth of Christianity with convincing power only 
equaled by the resurrection.” Born in Tarsus, “no 
mean city,’ of a well-to-do Jewish family whose ser- 
vices had been honored with the dignity of Roman 
citizenship, he was carefully educated in the religion of 
his fathers. Of himself he could justly say: “Touch- 
ing the righteousness that is of the law, blameless.” So 
irreproachable was he in conduct, and so_ highly 
esteemed, that in comparative youth he was entrusted 
with some official position by the Supreme Council of 
the nation. His intense honesty aroused his hostility 
against the sect of the Nazarenes, which he judged to 
be iconoclastically intent on destroying what he deemed 
most venerable. He himself says that in persecuting 
the church he verily thought he was doing God’s ser- 
vice, and he evidently thought that he was helping to 
rid the earth of a baleful superstition. For such a man 
to turn completely around and espouse what he had 
opposed, to embrace what he had violently rejected and 
become its foremost defender, is an event of the utmost 
significance. 

Suppose Mr. Charles Bradlaugh, the English infidel, 
who has been eulogized because of his personal worth 
by Mr. Frothingham and Mrs. Annie Besant, had 
become a Christian before his death; or to come nearer 
home, suppose that Colonel Robert Ingersoll, who is 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 161 


well reported of, were to retract his stalwart champion- 
ship of unbelief and were to employ his acute and 
brilliant eloquence on behalf of the cause he has here- 
tofore assailed, such conversions would unquestionably 
go very far toward confirming the apostolic testimony 
regarding the exceptional claims of Christianity. Nor 
could: the conversion of Paul mean less. He was in 
Jerusalem when Stephen was stoned, and probably was 
there when our Lord was crucified. _ Undoubtedly his 
position as a student made him perfectly familiar with 
all the alleged facts connected with Jesus, his death 
and resurrection. Being contemporaneous with what 
the evangelists were saying had occurred, he was situ- 
ated advantageously to know whether the representa- 
tions made were true.or false. His rejection of the 
light at first is easily explicable, as he was conscien- 
tiously a “Hebrew of the Hebrews”; but that he 
should accept it, he with his intelligence and his high 
moral sense of responsibility, is evidence complete that 
no sufficient reason existed in his day for its repudiation. 
He certainly would not have yielded submission to that 
which had for its support mere idle rumors and foolish 
surmises. Not verisimilitudes only, but “infallible 
proofs”’ were surely necessary to convince such a mind 
and satisfy such a conscience as he possessed. So re- 
markable was this metamorphosis, this seizure of soul 
by truth, that Christians have frequently appealed to it 
in defending the reality of the supernatural. Of course, 
if Paul’s conversion was a miracle, then Christianity is 
divine, and the narrative in the Gospels is authentic. 
But waiving this very tenable assumption, and looking 
at the change as the result of investigation or, at least, 


162 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


of intimacy with all that was said and done by Jesus 
and his immediate followers, it still remains a most 
potent confirmation of the original story as set forth by 
the evangelists, and on which rests the superstructure 
of Christianity. 

The substance of what he had been brought to 
believe is set forth in his Epistle to the Corinthians: 
‘Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel 
which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, 
and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye 
keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye 
have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first 
of all that which I also received, how that Christ died 
for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he 
was buried, and that he rose the third day according to 
the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15 : 1, 4). Dean Stanley, com- 
menting on this passage, offers the following reflec- 
tions on its import: “It contains the earliest known 
specimen of what may be called the creed of the early 
church. In one sense, indeed, it differs from what is 
properly called a creed, which was the name applied, 
not to what new converts were taught, but to what they 
professed on their conversion. . . The present passage 
gives us a sample of the exact form of the oral 
teaching of the apostle.” And any one can see at a 
glance that it corresponds exactly to what the original 
witnesses declared. The three facts—death, burial, 
resurrection—embody the very essence of the evan- 
gelical story. Paul, as it were, affixes his autograph to 
this account, and certifies that it is in every respect 
authentic. Nor can the force of this corroboration be 
called in question by aspersing the genuineness of the 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 163 


documents wherein he has recorded his convictions. 
The four most important epistles which bear his name 
—RKomans, Corinthians (both letters), and Galatians— 
the most vigorous of critics admit were written by him, 
and could not have been composed at a later date than 
twenty-eight years after the crucifixion. Renan con- 
cedes the genuineness of four more—two to the Thes- 
salonians, Philemon, and Philippians, and entertains but 
slight doubt concerning Ephesians and Colossians. 
These conclusions have not been seriously controverted 
by Strauss, Baur, and the Tiibingen school; and what 
they do not challenge may safely be considered as settled. 
The Pauline epistolary literature, the authorship of 
which is practically undisputed, is therefore in evidence 
as ratifying in an exceptionally independent, spon- 
taneous, and straightforward manner the authenticity of 
the Gospels. 

While the Argument from Testimony is finished with 
this review of the way in which the accounts given by 
the evangelists have been confirmed, it is permissible 
to strengthen what has been said by a brief reference 
to the signs of Divine oversight and assistance in their 
preparation and preservation. I am not about to argue 
that we ought to believe what these men say because 
they are inspired, and that we ought to believe that 
they are inspired because it is affirmed in what they 
say. I have before my eyes a wholesome fear of the 
Jallacta petitionts principii ; and I have no desire in 
this instance either to beg the question or to reason in 
a circle. But it is certainly legitimate to point out the 
lofty character and the indestructible influence of the 
Gospels, and even of the entire New Testament, as 


164 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


indicating the presence of an element not wholly 
human. What shall we term that indescribable quality 
which, as Coleridge has it, “ finds us,” and which is as 
manifestly higher than nature as nature is higher than 
art? Dr. Adolph Saphir, in a posthumous volume, 
called attention to the fact that the Bible from the 
beginning had been a persecuted book, but that no 
weapon had prevailed against it. Men have attempted 
to destroy it, but it would not remain destroyed. Dio- 
cletian tried his hand at exterminating the sacred 
record during the tenth persecution. The third century 
experiment did not deter Torquemada from its repeti- 
tion over a thousand years afterward. But all in vain. 
It will not burn. It is a fireproof structure, a phoenix 
that is never content to remain in ashes. Still is it 
tortured, racked, and twisted, and if it survives, as 
survive it will, none of the credit will be due to our 
modern literary inquisitors. A recent writer has likened 
it to a fountain reared and opened by a benefactor of 
mankind. Its donor, however, is told that an esthetic 
critic had seen it and pronounced it defective in form, 
and poor in design and ornament. He listened sadly, 
and then inquired whether many persons came to drink 
of its waters; and he was assured that thousands of 
men, women, and children slaked their thirst at its 
cooling stream. “ Very well,” he said; “I am satisfied, 
and I can only hope when the censor is dry and parched 
that he also will taste and be refreshed.” The Bible is 
that fountain, and its munificent Designer is not dis- 
turbed by the experts if the world will only drink of its 
life-giving contents. It is this very power of satis- 
fying feverish soul and mind that preserves the Book 


THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 165 


in the face of all antagonisms and endears it to man- 
kind, 

Not very long ago, in 1887,.a translation of the 
Gospels into French by M. Henri Lasserre, bearing the 
imprimatur of the Archbishop of Paris, was published 
and widely circulated. In the introduction the trans- 
lator draws a mournful picture of Romanist ignorance 
of the sacred writings and violently assails the pious 
literature substituted in their stead. It is just here 
that we are interested in what he says. He denounces 
the substitutes as “enervating by their intellectual in- 
anity, by their narrowness of conception, by their false 
ideas or their absence of ideas, by their absolute ignor- 
ance—ignorance of the real world, ignorance of the hu- 
man heart, ignorance of the true ways of God. But, 
. . the faithful must be led back to the gospel, whose 
apostolic mission they have noiselessly usurped, to that 
great fountain of living water which flows from the 
inspired Book. . . We must put the earth again face 
to face with Jesus Christ.” It need hardly be said that 
as “Les Saints Evangiles’”’ was a great success, passing 
through twenty-five editions, the papacy was disturbed 
and finally condemned it with other dangerous pro- 
ductions. But the contrast implied in the preface is 
worthy of serious thought, as it explains why France 
greedily devoured M. Lasserre’s work, and why the 
Gospels in any tongue are mighty in governing the | 
world. It is because they possess the very qualities 
which are conspicuous by their absence in the “ pious 
literature.” They are stimulating by their intellectual 
vigor, by their breadth of conception, by their true 
ideas and the multiplicity of ideas, and by their abso- 


166 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


lute knowledge—knowledge of the real world, of the 
human heart, and of the ways of God. But how came 
they to be so comprehensive and exhaustive? It is 
difficult to believe that a few Jews, not much above the 
peasant class, could have written books of this extra- 
ordinary character unless they had received aid from 
God. The features I have noted are assuredly sugges- 
tive of inspiration. How else explain wnat is so striking 
and exceptional? It is as though the Almighty had 
placed his zwprimatur on the biographies of his Son, 
and on the letters full of grace and truth that are con- 
cerned with his service and his glory. This at least is 
the impression one receives as he reads, and the more 
closely he reads the deeper the impression becomes. 
Is it incredible that human testimony should have been 
supplemented by the informing and quickening Spirit 
of the Highest? If he is the Father of mankind, and 
if thought has more to do with his creatures’ happiness 
than blind instinct, and if truth as the guide of thought 
is of priceless importance, then it can hardly be irra- 
tional to suppose that he imparted through the evan- 
gelists to the Gospels certain unique characteristics 
which should distinguish them from other literatures, 
and which should always create a presumption in favor 
of their unfailing trustworthiness. That this gracious 
purpose was accomplished, the books themselves are 
witness ; AND THUS IT IS THAT THE ALTOGETHER UN- 
IMPEACHABLE HUMAN TESTIMONY BECOMES IN A VALID 
SENSE DIVINE, AND THE ARGUMENT FROM TESTIMONY 
GROWS INTO AN INVINCIBLE DEFENSE OF THE CHRIS- 
TIAN RELIGION. 


Cr NE LE Ra 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 


Nias was sent by cable a few months since an- 

nouncing the destruction of the celebrated paint- 
ing by Burne-Jones, named “Love Among Ruins.” 
The picture was a masterpiece from the brush of an 
English artist who ranks with the greatest of the cen- 
tury. It was entrusted to a well-known firm of art 
publishers for reproduction. Not only did the heads 
of the establishment know that their charge was a 
precious water color, but the author had taken the 
precaution of affixing a label; and yet the thoughtless- 
ness of inexperienced workmen, using fluids of a per- 
nicious character, led to its complete effacement. A 
sublimer painter than Burne-Jones has treated in 
a grander picture the subject of Christ, incarnate love, 
toiling, suffering, and dwelling among the ruins sin 
has wrought, designed for reproduction likewise, not in 
other books particularly, but rather in the lives of men. 
The divine and ever-gracious Artist has pronounced a 
curse on those who would add to or take from it, or 
who would in any wise dim its colors or obliterate its 
essential features. Notwithstanding this solemn ob- 
jurgation, every age has brought to the front busy in- 
dividuals, who, though not always meaning to be ene- 
mies, have apparently done their utmost to effect its 


destruction. They have tried to reduce its glorious 
167 


168 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


hues to neutral tints, to foreshorten the infinite per- 
spective, to sponge out or render illegible the total im- 
port of the work, and so leave hardly anything of the 
original, except the dull, cold canvas. But the gospel 
is no aguarelle. The brush used in its execution was 
guided by the hand of God, and the colors employed 
were ground from the agony of Christ, and were made 
steadfast and immortal by being dyed in his blood. 
The picture is imperishable. As well expect with 
chemicals to blot out, or with captious knives to scratch 
out the roseate hues that flush the Eastern dawn, or 
to extinguish the glory of amber and impurpled clouds 
that cradle in their splendor the sleepy day, as to can- 
cel and leave no trace of what has been portrayed in 
the inspired word for the salvation and comfort of the 
race. No, no; that painting is indestructible. The 
fires of searching exegesis in the end shall brighten the 
composition and burnish it as with orient resplendency ; 
the floods of skepticism and absolute atheism shall only 
leave its surface cleaner and fairer for the inundation ; 
even as the acids of criticism, once apprehended as 
fatal in their action, have tested their combinations 
in vain on its images and rich expressiveness. Goethe 
said truly years ago that there is nothing grander than 
this Bible picture, and by this same token we may 
believe that there is nothing more lasting and encaustic. 
Sir Joshua Reynolds tells his readers that the unedu- 
cated eye is always disappointed in the masterpieces of 
Raphael and other great artists, and that students must 
devote long years to meditation and to copying before 
they can touch even the hem of their transcendent 
genius. But in religion the trouble is that amateur 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 169 


eyes are only too ready to pronounce on the work of 
God, and people spiritually untaught are prompt to 
judge it by poor earthly standards, and to mar it with 
daubs which they, in their vast conceit, count improve- 
ments. Were they more deeply versed in eternal veri- 
ties, they would pause. Could they but realize that 
they are among the ruins, and are themselves in a 
pathetic sense part of the ruins, they would perceive 
their eminent unfitness to decide on the merits, and 
much less to revise and change the magnificent repre- 
sentation given in the Scriptures, of infinite love seek- 
ing to repair the broken walls and waste places. Eu- 
ripides is reported to have proudly said: “I have 
written to instruct you, O Athenians; not to be criti- 
cized by you.” And with equal indignation our Heav- 
enly Father might exclaim, “that the gospel was con- 
ferred on men—not for them to amend, but to obey.” 
At no point has this disposition to tamper with the 
sacred documents, and to damage them in the interest 
of a pre-conceived theory, been more painfully apparent 
than in the persistent efforts to eliminate from them 
every trace of the miraculous. Rationalists like Strauss 
display the utmost virulence of intolerance toward 
those, however learned, who subscribe to belief in the 
supernatural. The author of the “ New Life of Jesus,” 
says: “It certainly requires no small amount of assur- 
ance for any one to stand forth in the face of the pres- 
ent age with an ostensibly sincere profession of im- 
plicit belief in miracle” ; and further on, referring to 
Meyer's acceptance of that feature of the gospel nar- 
rative, he adds: “It becomes in this instance an ad- 


mission of his own imbecility” (1 : 38, 39). Other 
P 


170 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


vitriolic and corrosive critics have proceeded in the 
same vein to evince their contempt of religious people 
who humbly insist that there must be something more 
in this vast universe than matter and mechanics. It 
has likewise grown fashionable among certain men of 
letters and among half-educated individuals who imitate 
their superiors, to smile incredulously and shrug their 
shoulders with a movement of polite impatience when 
any such view of the cosmos is advanced. They quietly 
assume that the world has outgrown the faith of Milton, 
Leibnitz, Pascal, Copernicus, Kepler, Bacon, Newton, 
Ray, Faraday, and Whewell, and that further argument 
is entirely superfluous. With something like lofty 
disdain they allude to the mysteries of Christianity as 
though they were identical with superstitions, and as 
though it were possible to divest spiritual and eternal 
realities of mystery, which Amiel, in his “ Journal,” 
regards as inseparable from religion as light is from a 
star or beauty from a flower. They likewise forget the 
deep truth Wordsworth has tried to teach them: 


The universe is infinitely wide ; 

And conquering reason, if self-glorified, 

Can nowhere move uncrossed by some new wall 
Or gulf of mystery ; which thou alone, 
Imaginative faith, canst overleap 

In progress toward the fount of love,—the throne 
Of power, whose ministers the records keep 

Of periods fixed and laws established, less 

Flesh to exalt than prove its nothingness. 


Even reason has to deal with the incomprehensible 
and cannot go far in any direction without invoking the 
aid of faith. And strange to say, this fact may be 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES I71 


acknowledged, and yet every instance of it suggested 
by the marvels recorded in the New Testament be chal- 
lenged and even ridiculed. Not a few persons demand 
a religion of common sense, with no achievements 
inexplicable by nature’s laws, and one that does not 
proclaim the actual resurrection of Jesus Christ; and 
yet they put up with a universe that is somewhat per- 
plexing to common sense, and that is charged through 
and through with wonders that are as unanswering as 
the Sphinx to human investigation. This singular in- 
consistency or prejudice might be passed by in silence, 
or be treated as a harmless aberration of the mind, were 
it not that it is used to undermine the kingdom of 
Christ and to overturn the most sacred hopes of the 
race. Miracles are declared to be an impediment to 
Christianity, burdening it, hampering it, and rendering 
it incredible to intelligence; and it is further asserted 
that belief in them must be abandoned if that which is 
divine and true in the system is to be reverenced and 
preserved. But so far is this from being the case, that 
in the judgment of the most reliable thinkers, were 
they to be permanently discredited, Christianity as a 
religion of redemption, as a religion of spiritual life, and — 
as a religion which is itself a revelation from God, 
would cease to command the respectful homage of man- 
kind. No one as yet has been so illogical as to deny 
that if the alleged supernatural deeds and events re- 
corded in the Gospels can be successfully vindicated, 
everything else chronicled therein, including the super- 
natural origin of Christianity, follows necessarily in 
strict order of sequence and as a matter of course. If 
they are unworthy of confidence, the result of their 


172 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


final disparagement may be open to question ; but it is 
admitted by foes and friends alike, that if they are sus- 
ceptible of proof and can be proven, then all we are 
contending for in this volume is inevitably and irrefut- 
ably proven likewise. Hence the importance of the 
“argument” that is concerned with this grave issue, 
which must now engage our attention : 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES, 


First. We will try to determine the value of the 
miracle. 

Of this we already have had some token, but we must 
realize more clearly its worth if we are to do justice to 
the discussion. It will doubtless be remembered that 
our Lord in his farewell discourse, when he represents 
himself as the Revelation and Impersonation of the 
Father, rests the truth of his startling claims on the 
words he had spoken and on the works he had per- 
formed. “ Believest thou not that I am in the Father, 
and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto 
you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth 
in me, he doeth the works.” These then are his cre- 
. dentials: divine wisdom and divine power, mighty 
thought and thoughtful might, unparalleled simplicity of 
eloquence on the one side, matched by unapproach- 
able triumphs of benevolence on the other. These 
“deeds” which are relied on as evidence and trusted as 
logic, sometimes termed “signs” because they disclose 
the presence of God, and again, “wonders” because 
they are manifestations of the supernatural, are very 
conspicuous in gospel history. When the disciples of 
John sought Jesus that they might inquire regarding 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 173 


his Messiahship, he answered them: “The blind 
receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are 
cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and 
the poor have the gospel preached to them.” On 
another occasion he uses the impressive language: 
« But I have greater witness than that of John; for the 
works which the Father hath given me to finish, the 
same works that I do, bear witness of me.” And that 
the people might have proof of his authority to pardon 
transgressors, it is written: “ But that ye may know 
that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive 
sins, then saith he to the sick of the palsy, Arise, take 
up thy bed and go unto thine house” (Matt. 9 : 4, 5, 6; 
MMarkezento;. Jolnes:. 30). 

From these passages it is evident that Jesus attached 
great value to the testimony of miracles. They seem 
to have been to him not only the seals to his ministry, 
but to some extent an exposition of its spirit. While 
they were attestations, they were also proclamations. 
They were at once the autographs of the Almighty and 
the essence of the communication to which they were 
attached. In a word, they were the unveiling of the 
supernatural in the midst of the natural. The imme- 
diate followers of our Lord entered into his views on 
this subject sympathetically and unhesitatingly. After 
his ascension they not only wrought marvels in his 
name, but constantly dwelt on the extraordinary features 
of his career, even going so far as to exclaim: “If 
Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your 
faith is also vain; yea and we are found false witnesses 
of God, because we have testified of God that he raised 
DpeC irish "(te Gor this 40615): 


LA. THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


These men discerned a close connection between doc- 
trine and deed. They believed that a teacher sent 
from God would necessarily do the mighty works that 
Jesus wrought. If heaven spake amazing things by his 
lips, why should it not accomplish astounding things by 
his hands? And if his claims to be both “the light 
and life of the world” were to be allowed, how could 
they be more vividly and surely established than by his 
deliverance from the night of the tomb and his resur- 
rection from the dead? Whether Jesus and his dis- 
ciples ranked the testimony of miracles higher than 
other kinds of evidence, or as high, we have no adequate 
means of determining; nor is it necessary to our pur- 
pose that we should do so. This much we know, they 
did prize this class of proofs, and we can hardly afford 
to ignore that which was so highly esteemed by the 
founders of our faith. 

It is now said, however, that our relation to them is 
very different from that which was sustained by the 
contemporaries of our Lord and his disciples. They 
saw for themselves the mighty marvels wrought, and 
thus had the witness of their senses, while we have to 
accept the report of their performance on human testi- 
mony. Therefore the nature of the proof is different, 
and cannot be so conclusive. In the last analysis our 
belief in miracles rests on the competent witnessing 
of both Christ and his apostles; and I think we can 
show that this witnessing is all that is necessary to 
complete conviction. While the evidence of the senses 
had its advantages, the other method of conviction had 
to be at a very early day relied on, and somehow has 
always been adequate to the end designed. The aim, 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 175 


scope, and sweep of the argument from miracles is to 
make this plain, and beyond this to show that the very 
character of Christianity is involved in the discussion. 
When Spinoza, Paulus, Woolston, Strauss, and Renan 
deny the possibility of supernatural manifestations, 
whether in healing the sick or raising the dead, they 
mean, whether they explicitly state it or not, that 
Christianity as a supernatural system is equally im- 
possible. The value of our present argument consists, 
not so much in the reasons it assigns for crediting the 
specific wonders attributed to Christ, as in demonstrat- 
ing beyond a peradventure that the Almighty has not 
built himself out of the universe by his own laws, and 
rendered it impossible for him to interpose even to 
confer on mankind a religion of righteousness and 
redemption. If Christianity is not an evolution in the 
strict scientific sense of that word, then it is a creation, 
and a creation demanding the same divine energy as at 
the beginning fashioned cosmos out of chaos. If God 
cannot, without deranging a universe and pouring con- 
tempt on his own established order, turn water into 
wine, or raise a little maid to life, neither can he be 
conceived as intermeddling with the settled constitu- 
tion of things to introduce a new faith. The two stand 
or fall together. Most justly does Theodor Christlieb 
of Bonn sum up the relation between them: 


_ If the miraculous be once denied, it is far more logical and 
honest no longer to regard the Gospels as historical; but, as 
Strauss does, to consider them a chain of legends and fictions, and 
then to abjure Christianity openly. For the elimination of the 
miraculous element from the Gospels’ history can never take place 
without a deep injury, or even a total and destructive alteration 


176 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


of the entire substance of the Christian religion. What good is it 
to know all about the linen of the swaddling clothes, which the 
rationalist exegete will describe so learnedly and vividly, if it is 
no longer a divine child that was wrapped in them? What is 
the use of depicting the cross, if it is merely an apparently dead 
man who is being lifted down from it? The whole foundation 
of our Christian religion is shattered. 


This is clearly perceived by infidels. They have no 
controversy with the honored gentlemen who smile as 
they avow themselves believers in Christianity minus 
the miracles. That pleases them vastly. It leaves 
them nothing to desire. If miracles are incredible, a 
miraculously given religion must be incredible also, and 
any other kind of religion is merely a sweet bit of 
sentimentality without vigor and without worth. When 
the superior motive power, the inflexibility of principle, 
the hope of salvation, and the assurance of immortality, 
which are the distinctive features of a supernatural 
creed are surrendered, the little that remains is too 
colorless and nerveless to invite debate. All this has 
been very finely though somewhat caustically put by 
Mr. Robert Buchanan, who has no leaning in the direc- 
tion of orthodoxy: 


Now Jesus of Nazareth clearly claimed to be the Incarnation 
of the living God, not in the sense in which all good men are 
incarnations, but in the special sense that he, more than any 
other human being, represented the Godhead. To establish his _ 
claim he did one thing—if Christian evidence is to be credited. 
He performed miracles, even to the extent of raising the dead. 
If he did not perform miracles he was either self-deluded or an 
impostor ; and in any case he failed, if he did not perform them, 
in establishing his theory of immortality. Now the man who can 
believe that miracles are possible under any circumstances what- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES Ley 


ever can take Christianity at one bite, without a single grain of 
salt. The man who rejects the theory of miracles can never 
save his soul alive (as so many men seek to do) by simply 
believing that Jesus was the best of men, and that his moral 
teachings were supremely beautiful’; for he must acknowledge 
in the same breath that Jesus was ignorant of the laws of nature, 
and that the teachings of Jesus, however beautiful, were based 
upon a thaumaturgist’s delusion. We may refine all this away. 
We may follow Mr. Matthew Arnold in his pitiful feats of literary 
Jesuitry, put all the miraculous business aside, in order to throw 
one last straw of hope to the sinking Church of England. We 
may potter and quibble about ‘‘ poetry ’’ and ‘‘essential’’ relig- 
ion just as much or as little as we please ; but with the loss of 
the supernatural pretension perishes the whole fabric of organ- 
ized Christianity. Therein lies the crux of the whole discussion. 
To regard Jesus Christ as merely a fine social reformer, or as 
the spirit of perfect humanity ‘‘ which is to be,”’ is to shut one’s 
eyes altogether to his divine pretensions. We want to know 
something more. 


Exactly. If the miraculous element is to be thrust out, 
consistency requires that the incarnation, the resurrec- 
tion of Christ, regeneration, providence, and everything 
really distinctive be repudiated. As it is, the miracle 
rightly understood is the sign and badge of the essential 
character of the faith. 

Moreover it reveals and affirms the sacredness of the 
physical. The Almighty is not alienated from the 
material works of his hands, but continues in fellowship 
with them, walks on their waters, and effects the tender 
purposes of grace through their agencies. From all of 
which we are to learn that the permanent background 
of the universe is the supernatural; that the entire 
framework of things is absolutely subordinate to the 
manifestations and operations of Infinite Spirit ; and 


178 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


that when we are in touch with nature we are nearer 
to its glorious Author than we may suppose. Thus 
miracles have illuminated creation, and have also sanc- 
tified it. And are they not prophecies as well? 
God in the beginning exalted man over all things, 
“crowned him with glory and honor,” and made him a 
little lower than himself (see Psalm 8, in the Hebrew), 
and has commissioned him to subdue and replenish 
the earth. But though “we see not now all things in 
subjection under his feet . . . we see Jesus”; we see 
him in his ministry healing the sick, feeding the hun- 
gry, opening blind eyes, and raising the dead; and we 
see him now risen and “crowned with glory and honor,” 
and in all this we read the promise of a coming day 
when God's primal purpose shall be fulfilled; when 
winds and seas shall yield obedience to the power of 
man ; when disease shall flee before his touch, and even 
death be conquered by his mighty faith. Then shall 
his dominion be established and the fair dreams of 
poets and of prophets be more than accomplished. As 
we may see the essential radiance of the sun in a dew- 
drop, and the outline of a tree in the leaf, and the con- 
figuration of a Matterhorn in a piece of mica-schist 
broken from its mass, so in the miracle we have much 
in little. It is an epitome of the universe; it is an arc 
that determines the circumference of redemption; and 
it is a pledge and a pattern of the future time when the 
mountains shall be gorgeous with light, and earth be 
filled with the happiness of man and the glory of God. 
Surely then its value is inestimable. Its worth to the 
cause of true religion is simply incalculable. This 
every friend of our Lord should fully realize and should 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 179 


steadfastly maintain. He may have other material for 
stronger arguments than it on the whole may furnish; 
but let him be careful, for if he first surrender this, he 
may soon discover that nothing has been left worth 
contending for. Like a man who violently shuts the 
window against a robber after having politely opened 
the door, or like one who industriously builds dikes 
to keep out the sea, having previously unloosed sub- 
merged floodgates to let it in, so is he who imagines he 
can hold the fortress of Christian doctrine when he has 
betrayed into an enemy’s hands the postern on which 
its very safety depends. 

SECONDLY. We must attempt to determine the nature 
of the miracle. Much has been written on this part of 
our subject, and much I am afraid that has rather dark- 
ened than enlightened the understanding. If I hesi- 
tate, it is because I fear to fall into the same condemn- 
ation. One thing at least I shall aim at, and that is 
simplicity ; and one thing I shall seek to avoid, and 
that is abstruse definition. What Edward Gilpin 
Johnson says in his Introduction to “ Reynold’s Dis- 
courses” regarding beauty is worthy of being taken 
as a ‘guide in studying the marvels of the gospel: 
“Beauty analyzed is beauty slain; and it is, after all, 
wiser to rest satisfied with inhaling the fragrance of 
the flower of art and enjoying its perfections, than to 
pull it to pieces, count the petals and stamens, and re. 
solve the perfume into an essence scientifically procur- 
able from wayside seeds.’ So also it is better to grasp 
the miracle as a whole, to ascertain its fundamental 
characteristic, and then leave it without too nice scru- 
tiny of its various parts ; otherwise what we might gain 


180 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


in seeming exactness, we shall lose in religious feel- 
ing. The process and the method by which it is ac- 
complished has not been revealed, and consequently 
they cannot be formulated. To assert with Hume that 
“it is a violation of a law of nature,’ or with others to 
affirm sententiously that it is “the suspension of 
nature’s laws,’ or their “counteraction,” or ‘“ subordi- 
nation’ is altogether too precise for it to be entirely 
assuring. It has not been fully decided yet as to what 
a law of nature really is, and as to nature itself we are 
too much in the dark to declare dogmatically in what 
manner and to what extent changes may occur within 
its vast domains. All that is essential to a clear idea 
of the act we are seeking to define may be gathered 
from two or three Scripture texts. It is written in 
John’s Gospel: “Since the world began was it not 
heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was 
born blind”; also, ““No man can do these miracles 
that thou doest except God be with him.” These pas- 
sages indicate surprise that the uniform course of na- 
ture should be interrupted, with a profound conviction 
that the phenomenon proceeded from the direct action 
of divine power through the human personality of 
Christ. From these and similar representations, we 
are warranted in inferring that A MIRACLE IS AN EVENT 
WITH A SUPERNATURAL CAUSE OCCURRING IN THE 
SPHERE OF THE NATURAL. There is really no need to 
say more. Everything beyond this must be more or 
less speculative, and in the form of hypothesis incap- 
able of verification. With this simple definition, the 
Kev. Principal Cairns agrees, saying that the miracle 
“may be spoken of as an act of God which visibly 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 181 


deviates from the ordinary working of his power, de- 
signed while serving other uses to authenticate a divine 
message.” * John Stuart Mill, viewing the whole sub- 
ject abstractly as a metaphysician and not asa believer, 
gives the sanction of his great name to this conception : 


A miracle (as was justly remarked by Brown,) is no contra- 
diction to the law of cause and effect. It is a new effect sup- 
posed to be produced by the introduction of a new cause. Of 
the adequacy of that cause, if present, there can be no doubt ; 
and the only antecedent improbability which can be ascribed to 
the miracle, is the improbability that any such cause existed. — 
Logic, Vol. Il., p. 150. 


He does not challenge the philosophical soundness 
of the definition I have formulated; he only questions 
the assumption that supernatural agency—a personal 
God—exists to serve as the cause of such extraordinary 
effect. Mr. Lecky, author of various notable works, 
among them “ A History of Rationalism,” confirms my 
statement of the case, and with his usual lucidity sug- 
gests a point of comparison which renders it more 
transparent and clear to the ordinary mind. He writes: 


There is no contradiction involved in the belief that spiritual 
beings of power and wisdom immeasurably transcending our 
own exist, or that existing, they might, by the normal exercise 
of their powers perform feats as far surpassing the understanding 
of the most gifted of mankind as the electric telegraph and the 
prediction of an eclipse surpass the faculties of a savage. 


And Mr. Richard Holt Hutton, a writer of estab- 
lished repute on current theology, said in the “Con- 
temporary Review” (April, 1887) : 
nS han AIS I (anni A Sale OC a 

4 “Central Evidences,” p. 220, 


Q 


182 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Theoretically, as all the best scientific minds are agreed, 
there is no contradiction at all between the principle of the uni- 
formity of the law of causation and a very marvelous interrup- 
tion of the ordinary course of nature. All that is proved by 
such an interruption is the intervention of some new and unex- 
pected cause. How inexhaustible is the number of unexplored 
causes, no man knows better than the true man of science. 


The analogy suggested by Mr. Lecky is worthy of some 
consideration as illustrating the nature of the miracle and 
as tending greatly to diminish its alleged incredibiiity. 
When a definition is sustained by something similar, al- 
though not quite identical, it gains, not only in clearness 
but in reasonableness ; and a presumption is created, not 
alone in favor of its accuracy, but in favor of the thing 
defined being more than probable. Dr. Horace Bush- 
nell (“ Natural and Supernatural’), represents man as 
acting on nature, producing effects which nature left 
to herself never would have produced, as for instance, 
in making gunpowder, a pistol, a steam engine. This 
bringing to bear on nature a human force, the power 
of will, the operation of a higher law, call it what you 
please, occasions no confusion or derangement, nor 
brings into contempt ordinary uniformities ; and sub- 
stituting the divine for the human and enlarging the 
effect beyond the ability of the human mind to pro- 
duce, in this we have the counterpart of everything 
necessary to the miracle. God also acts on nature dis- 
tinctly and immediately and effects results which na- 
ture left to itself never would have produced, and 
which even the creature left to himself never could 
have accomplished. The bishop of Exeter thus en- 
larges on this topic : 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES © 183 


In each individual the uniformity of nature is broken to leave 
room for the moral force of the will to assert its independent 
existence. This breach of uniformity is within very narrow 
limits, and occurs much more rarely than appears at first sight. 
But the demand to admit not only the possibility but the fact of 
this breach is imperative, and to deny it is to turn the command 
of the moral law as revealed in the conscience into a delusion. 
So too, revelation asserts its right to set aside the uniformity of 
nature to leave room for a direct communication from God to 
man.—Bampiton Lectures, 1884. 


His grace in these words concedes the legitimacy of 
the comparison which in itself goes far toward confirm- 
ing the definition; but I do not think he does justice 
to the number or variety of the instances by which it 
is sustained. In the case of disease, nature left to her- 
self would land the patient in the grave, but man inter- 
poses and arrests the process and thus restores to health. 
Nor should the wonderful power of mind, of mind pure 
and simple unaided by material media, unless the subtle 
magnetic currents which flow involuntarily from body 
to body be counted such, over physical, bodily de- 
rangements and morbid tendencies be overlooked. 
Though more may be claimed for this than is war- 
ranted, and though it may blind to other important 
laws, and may only be temporary in the blessings it 
achieves, nevertheless it discloses an undeniable reality. 
Man can in certain conditions and within prescribed 
limits rebuke sicknesses as our Saviour did, the differ- 
ence being that as he is divine his healing grace could not 
be restrained by any limitations or conditions whatever, 
unless unbelief in the subject be regarded as such. Add 
to this the phenomena of electro-biology and hypnotism. 
Think how readily one human being becomes passive 


184 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


in the hands, or rather submissive to the will of another, 
so that he will smile when he is pierced with needles, 
will gravely fish with a pin for a hook in a lecture room 
before an amused audience, and will lie, steal, or murder 
without hesitation as he is directed. No one has as yet 
satisfactorily explained these startling things, but they 
clearly indicate the possibility of an outside mind be- 
coming operative in and on another person. 

Something of this power, though apparently exer- 
cised in a manner less direct, is manifested in man’s 
dealings with what is usually termed inanimate nature. 
Take, as an example, that mighty force which is coming 
to fill the place of steam and gas in civilization. One of 
the latest feats being accomplished through its agency 
is the utilization of Niagara Falls. That tremendous 
rush and sweep of water, the very energy of the inland 
seas of America, heretofore exhausting itself in a useless 
plunge, is being clutched by the hand of electricity and 
distributed and applied to do the work of five hundred 
thousand horses ; and Engineer Humbert promises that 
when necessary it will double this capacity. Left to 
itself, Niagara would have gone on moaning, swirling, 
and thundering to the end, and left to itself, electricity 
would have continued in idleness, unproductive and 
wasteful. To bring the two together required the 
interposition of what is distinct from either and 
superior to both—minp! This mysterious entity by 
the projection of itself into nature, probably through 
some machine, a zerus it has itself invented, produces 
these extraordinary effects and does so without vio- 
lating any law of nature and without subverting or 
annulling any. While this most remarkable action of 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 185 


the spiritual on the material is not a miracle, it is anal- 
agous to one. It introduces a cause not necessarily 
inherent in the substance influenced, which leads to a 
result that would never have been produced if the 
substance had been left to itself. But at this point 
the resemblance fades. The miracle, while practically 
identical in principle, is distinguished by divine energy 
effecting that which human power by direct exercise of 
volition has never been able to accomplish. Says 
Canon Heartley : 


The human will is the element, the action of whose disturbing 
force upon the material system around us comes most frequently 
or most strikingly under our notice. Man, in the exercise of 
his ordinary faculties, is perpetually interfering with, or mold- 
ing or controlling the operation of those ordinary laws of matter, 
which are in exercise around him. He does so if he does but 
disturb one pebble in its state of rest, or stay the fall of another 
before it reaches the ground. He does so to a vastly greater ex- 
tent when, by means of the appliances with which art instructed 
by science has furnished him, he projects a ball to the distance 
of four or five miles, or constrains steam, or light, or electricity 
to do his bidding. —Repliies to Essays and Reviews, p. 149. 


Were we to exclude man from our conception of 
nature, were he not by our thinking included in it, these 
and similar actions would be miraculous. God, the 
Almighty, is not by our conceptions included in nature 
as a part of it, and hence his direct interposition in its 
courses we count miraculous; that is, supernatural, 
and it testifies to its being such by its transcendent 
and unparalleled character. And if man, as with some 
show of reason may be expected, shall ever work the 
works of God, shall ever perform the precise mira- 
cles he wrought in the person of Christ, it will be 


186 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY - 


because God dwells in him with extraordinary fullness ; 
and when this is the case, if ever it shall come to pass, 
miracles will not cease, as some suppose, to be miracles, 
for they will still be the result of divine energy and 
will ever serve the purpose of their prototypes—will 
endlessly witness to the reality and the permanence of. 
the supernatural. 

THIRDLY. We should seek to appreciate the dignity 
of the miracle, It is of importance that we do so, as 
this trait or quality creates a strong antecedent proba- 
bility in its favor. God has never been prodigal of 
wonders. He is not perpetually obtruding himself on 
the attention of mankind by unnecessary multiplication 
of startling signs. Dr. Allon says, truly >< The mira 
cles came at great epochs. Even God’s prophets are 
not represented as working miracles whenever it 
pleased them. . . Scripture miracles are never 
wantonly performed, and they are always the creden- 
tials of the messenger.” We find them specially mark- 
ing the beginning of religious institutions under Moses, 
the reform of religious institutions under Elijah and 
Elisha, and the perfecting of religious institutions 
under Christ and his apostles. This reserve, this 
moderation is noteworthy, Origen, in reply to Celsus, 
remarks: “How few the cases of persons raised 
from the dead in the Gospels are, and if these cases 
had been spurious there would have been more of 
them” ; a thought to be pondered. If these resurrec- 
tions were frauds it is strange that the number of them 
reported is not larger. Renan admits that Jesus “ per- 
sistently shunned the performance of wonders.” 
“This,” he adds, “gave him a power over his own age 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 137 


of which no individual has been possessed before or 
since. A mere sorcerer would not have brought about 
a moral revolution.” And Irenzus also declared that 
our Lord in performing cures ‘used no fantastic cere- 
monies, but acted in a simple, majestic manner as be- 
came a representative of the Infinite God. In the 
“Clementine Homilies,” Peter is described as contrast- 
ing the wonderful works of Christ with those alleged 
to have been performed by Simon Magus. He asks: 
“ What profit, what significance was there in his dogs 
of brass or stone that barked, his talking statues, his 
flights through the air, his transformations of himself, 
now into a serpent, now into a goat, his putting on of 
two faces, his rolling of himself unhurt upon burning 
coals and the like? Which, even if he had done, the 
works possessed no meaning; they stood in relation to 
nothing.” So likewise, Origen, referring to reputed 
heathen marvels, writes: “What came of these? In 
what did they issue? Where is the society that has 
been founded by their help? What is there in the 
world’s history which they have helped forward to show 
that they lay deep in the mind and counsel of God? 
The miracles of Moses issued in a Jewish polity ; those 
of the Lord in a Christian church ; whole nations were 
knit together through their help.” ! 

These authors are right in their criticisms. 
Whether there ever were brass or stone dogs that 
barked is a matter of supreme indifference to us, and 
whether fruitless marvels and barren prodigies were 
accomplished by Apollonius of Tyana and Esculapius 
is of no particular concern to any one. But when 
Reale sk aie or ny ea  W S 


1 Trench, ‘ Miracles,”’ pp. 30, 31. 


188 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


deeds are ascribed to Christ which not only trans- 
cended human power, but which when taken together 
exceeded all preceding efforts of human goodness, and 
became in a very potent sense the source of a new 
religion whose sovereignty has survived the Cesars, 
they are at once invested with an air of dignity that 
entitles them to respectful consideration. 

Of what value to the race were the thaumaturgical won- 
ders attributed to him of Tyana? Did they ever provoke 
any man to love him? MHas any man ever cried out, 
“The love of Apollonius constraineth me?” I presume 
it is unnecessary to say that from the beginning and in 
ever-increasing numbers to the present, millions have 
been willing to rest the hopes of time and eternity on 
the word of Jesus. Hewas no magician. Given such 
an individuality as Christ possessed, and miracles seem 
to be the most natural and fitting of occurrences. 
Even were he no more remarkable than Strauss and 
Renan allow, it would have been surprising to the point 
of incredibility for him never to have wrought extraor- 
dinary things. Superhuman to all intents and pur- 
poses, he would have contradicted himself had he not 
performed superhuman works. But on the other hand, 
if his endeavors had been noisy, ostentatious, garish, 
and apparently gotten up for effect, they would have 
been unbelievable. 

Silently and modestly dawns the day, unpreten- 
tiously and quietly glides one year into the other, 
and the dew falls unannounced by showman’s fife 
and drum ; and the stars peep out of the vaulted skies, 
the sun emerges from the darkness, and flowers 
and harvest fields grow beautiful without the pomp and 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 189 


parade of talismanic, incantatory ceremonies. If mira- 
cles are to make good their claim to an origin identical 
with that of the universe, if they are to be taken as 
proceeding from the same Divine Author, they surely 
must evince similar characteristics of style! This is 
only reasonable. And I think comparison may be 
safely challenged. The same simplicity, unobtrusive- 
ness, solemnity, unaccompanied by anything spectacular 
or pompous, that marks the handwriting of God in na- 
ture is equally apparent in the stupendous works of 
Jesus Christ. It is this similarity, this unique and 
dominant dignity, which prepossesses so many minds in 
their favor and strengthens their hold on succeeding 
generations. 

But it is asked, is not the whole conception undigni- 
fied? Does it not derogate from the majesty of Jeho- 
vah to conceive of him, even in his Son, as interfering 
with the ordinary course of things, as tampering with 
his own laws and concerning himself with temporary 
ills that are to be swallowed up, if not transmuted, in 
‘death? What more irreconcilable with the august 
greatness of him who dwelleth in the Holy of Holies 
than this pottering with and patching of human woes 
by means of processes akin to conjuration, exorcism, 
and cabalism? Is it not to lower the Creator, Lord of 
heaven and earth, to the level cf a Theurgist, an 
Obeah-man, and Katterfelto! These and similar rep- 
resentations are printed with wearisome repetition in 
magazines and essays, and are accepted by not a few 
as the quintessence of cultured wisdom. And yet, 
they are irrational and indefensible. Are we not 
taught in the Bible that He cares for the sparrows, and 


190 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


that he condescends to call each particular star by 
name, and to number the very hairs of our head? We 
receive the impression from the Book that it is as dig- 
nified to watch over the infinitely small as the infinitely 
great ; and our own feelings, and apart from this dis- 
cussion I am sure the better feelings of our opponents, 
respond approvingly. I know it is not uncommon for 
a certain type of mind to assume that it is qualified by 
some kind of infallible instinct to decide in advance 
what is becoming or unbecoming in Jehovah. But I 
submit whether this is not sheer intellectual arrogance, 
without a particle of justification? There is no evi- 
dence that any man is qualified to determine dogmati- 
cally what the Almighty ought to do or can do. To 
teach otherwise is to intimate that he himself is God 
in at least the attribute of omniscience, for if he does 
not know all things he cannot know all that is possible 
in the Infinite One, and if he does know he is himself 
a greater marvel than any he is striving to invalidate. 

And neither can we leave unchallenged the narrow, 
meagre, materialistic, and mechanical conception of the 
universe, which is professedly put forth in vindication 
of the Divine majesty, but which in reality is mainly 
designed to discredit the supernatural. We must admit, 
if the universe is simply a piece of mechanism, arranged 
to run an indefinite period like a clock, but not like some 
clocks, as at Strasburg or Berne, with a nice device 
incorporated at the beginning for various figures to 
come out on the striking of high noon, but only a dull, 
monotonous tick-tick clock that cannot even chime the 
hour, that miracles are necessarily impossible, and the 
very idea of them ludicrous in the extreme. But is 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES IgI 


this view of the heavens and the earth, of their magni- 
tudes and movements, the highest and the most rational ? 
The majority of the wisest and the most enlightened of 
the race have never subscribed to it. Asa theory it 
renders the inspiration of the Scriptures, particular and 
even general providences, and the answer to prayer, as 
well as miracles, merely idle dreams and glittering hal- 
lucinations. Everything of this character, though it 
has comforted untold millions and yet sustains them, 
must be abandoned as superstitious and fanciful 
in the interest of an unprovable hypothesis, whose 
singular demerit is seen in the fact that, having re- 
jected at pleasure all phenomena apparently subversive 
of its credibility, it is unable to account for or intelli- 
gently explain the few: phenomena that remain. I 
for one have never been able to understand the 
charm that this scheme of creation has for some per- 
sons, and I certainly fail to see in it anything very 
honoring to its alleged Supreme Author. That a 
factory with its noisy wheels and its manifold contriv- 
ances of shafts, belting, and engines, which cannot be 
disturbed unless everything stops or life be imperilled, 
should be regarded as a more impressive and sublime 
analogue of the cosmos than that of a body that is 
pliable and yielding to mind, responding in various 
changes to its emotions and volitions, and doing so 
without violating a single law governing the body’s 
functions, is to me one of those singular infatuations 
which arise periodically in the course of human history, 
and which go far toward bringing into contempt man’s 
much-praised reason. 

We may rest assured that God has not built himself 


I92 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


out of his own universe, that he has not fenced the 
labyrinthine ways of the worlds he fashioned, and writ- 
ten over them “No Thoroughfare.” No, he has not 
hampered himself by becoming subject to a uniformity, 
deviation from which would expose him to the charge 
of blundering or of fickleness. He is sovereign 
over all his manifold works, and without discord and 
without any changeableness on his part regarding their 
place and purpose, he can produce effects through 
them which confirm the message of his glory they 
were orginally designed to proclaim; and which can 
authenticate the claims of an extraordinary teacher, 
even as the fingers of a player can evoke music from a 
harp whose strings were at the first arranged to be 
responsive to the touch, and which, without in any 
wise deranging or violating the laws of their existence, 
can as easily discourse a symphony as a ballad, an old 
melody or one entirely new. And as the harp, with 
anthems and oratorios sleeping in its silent chords, and 
waiting but the touch of genius to awaken their elo- 
quent tones, is immeasurably superior to the poor 
hand-organ, whose mechanical strains were determined 
from the beginning, and to which none can be added 
and from which none can be taken away without 
changing the instrument, so is the universe, whose 
every domain yields responsive harmonies to the will 
of the Infinite One, in comparison with a world or 
procession of worlds that can only grind out what was 
originally incorporated, and to which nothing can be 
imparted without thwarting the primal design and 
entailing derangement and disaster. 

FourtHLy. We will now examine the proof of 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 193 


the miracle. Already, I trust, a strong presumption 
has been created in its favor by what has been said in 
this chapter; but it is important that the evidence on 
which it rests should be scrutinized. Especially 
is this imperative, as it is boldly asserted that, 
whether true or false, it is not susceptible of proof. 
That honest men, impartial, self-sacrificing, competent 
men bore witness to its reality is not denied; neither 
is it denied that their testimony on any other subject 
would be accepted before the highest courts of law. 
All that they have affirmed is simply brushed aside as 
inadmissible. It would do no good therefore to re- 
peat what we have elsewhere at length advanced in 
support of their trustworthiness. Repetition of that 
argument would not serve our purpose now. The 
seeker after truth ought to bear it in mind; but at this 
point it must be shown that the reasons given for 
invalidating the evidence are irrelevant and illogical. 

The grounds for rejecting miracles as unprovable 
have never been more clearly or more forcibly formu- 
lated than by David Hume; and we shall be doing full 
justice to the usual criticisms if we follow them as 
given in his famous “Essay.” Therein he argues at 
length, 

That experience is our only guide in reasoning concerning 
matters of fact. Variable experience gives rise to probability 
only—unifornt experience to proof. Our belief of any fact from 
the testimony of eye-witnesses is derived from no other princi- 
ple than our experience of the veracity of human testimony. If 
the fact attested be miraculous there arises a contest of two 
opposite experiences, or proof against proof. Now a miracle is 


a violation of the laws of nature [an unwarranted definition, as 


has been shown already]; and asa firm and unalterable experi- 
R 


194 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


ence has established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from 
the very nature of the fact, is as complete as any argument from 
experience can possibly be imagined ; andif so, it is an undeni- 
able consequence that cannot be surmounted by any proof 
whatever derived from human testimony.—See Lucyclopedia 
Britannica, article on Hume. 


Without implying that Mr. Hume in any wise bor- 
rowed from Dr. South, nevertheless the famous Scotch 
skeptic’s position was anticipated by the English 
divine, who exposed its weakness in his great sermon 
on “The Certainty of our Saviour’s Resurrection.” 
Other writers have successfully refuted its several fal- 
lacies, and little remains to be done at this late day 
save to meet the ever-recurring restatements of his 
argument, with a restatement of the answer. And if 
there is little that is positively new in this fresh de- 
fense, it is because there is nothing that is not abso- 
lutely old in the most modern of assaults. 

The implication fundamental to Mr. Hume’s concep- 
tion is that there is no God, no Supreme Being with 
power or motive adequate to modify or vary the opera- 
tions of nature. Of course, if atheism is true, every 
miracle is a lie, and every professed miracle-worker is 
self-deceived or a deceiver. It were foolish to talk of 
proof when the possibility of the thing to be proven 
is an utter impossibility. The mind that will not or 
cannot believe in the existence of God must necessa- 
rily regard all extraordinary effects, usually attributed 
to his agency, as the fictions of hallucination, or as the 
tricks of imposture. This is logical enough. Such 
a mind cannot believe in them, because it does not 
believe in him who alone could bring these wonders 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 195 


to pass. The issue is perfectly clear and specific. If 
there is no God there can be no miracles; but, on 
the other hand, if there is a God, then the inherent 
improbability of their occurrence ceases. Mr. Mill 
discerns this close connection between what he terms 
natural and revealed religion, and insists that the 
former is the necessary basis of the latter; and he 
adds: “The proofs of Christianity presuppose the 
being and moral attributes of God; that is, the con- 
formity of a religion to those attributes which deter- 
mine whether credence ought to be given to its ex- 
_ ternal evidences.” 1 Then, the primary question 
to be decided in this controversy is, whether there 
is a Creator, and whether he is a fatherly Provi- 
dence to his creatures; for if he is this, then there 
is no antecedent improbability against miracles, but 
rather a strong probability in their favor, as they are 
in accord with his benevolent interest in the welfare of 
mankind. 

Mr. Hume seems to have been so constituted that 
it was next to impossible for him to sympathize with 
those who have confidence in the reality of an unseen 
universe. Lord Charlemont, his friend, wrote of him: 


An unfortunate disposition to doubt everything seemed inter- 
woven with his nature; and never was there, I am convinced, 
a more thorough and sincere skeptic. He seemed not to be 
certain even of his own present existence, and he could not there- 
fore be expected to entertain any settled opinion respecting his 
future state. 


Beyond the question of his own existence he doubted 
also whether there could be any external world, or 


1‘ Logic,” Vol. II., p. 136. 


196 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


indeed anything but ideas; and consequently he could 
not find a place in his purely subjective domain for 
objective achievements of the supernatural sort, and, 
had he been logically consistent, for achievements of 
any kind. So inveterate was this melancholy pyrrhon- 
ism that he even doubted his own doubts, and almost 
in despair thus writes of his own speculations : 

They have so wrought upon me and heated my brain that I 
am ready to reject all belief and reasoning, and can look upon 
no opinion even as more probable or likely than another. 
Where am I, or what? ... 1 am confounded with all these 
questions, and begin to fancy myself in the most deplorable 
condition imaginable, environed with the deepest darkness, and 
utterly deprived of the use of every member and faculty. 


In his confusion he at one time says: 


A miracle supported by any human testimony is more properly 
a subject of derision than of argument. 

And yet on another occasion he makes the astounding 
acknowledgment : 

I own there may possibly be miracles of such a kind as to admit 
of proof from human testimony. 

A mind thus beclouded, thus self-contradictory, and 
reduced to such straits of helplessness, could not very 
well be convinced by any array of proof; but surely it 
must be unwise to accept the inability of such a mind 
as a fair criterion of the normal limitations of the sane 
intellect. | , 

There are agnostics in our day who follow pretty 
closely Mr. Hume’s method of reasoning. They reject 
the supernatural altogether; at least they assert that 
they do not know and cannot know that there is any such 
thing, and hence conclude that evidence in such a case 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 197 


can never be of any value. That is, they prejudge the 
whole question. The supernatural cannot be ascer- 
tained, consequently it cannot be proven. Their con- 
clusion is sound enough if their premise is trustworthy. 
No testimony can ever be satisfactory to persons who 
are committed to atheous theories. But if they are 
willing to admit that there is a real external world and a 
Deity who rules over it, then I contend they are bound 
to concede, on Hume’s own principles, that the Chris- 
tian position is defensible. As alleged miracles belong 
to the external world, and are in their essential char- 
acter facts, they can as readily be witnessed to as any 
other facts of history. I will not argue from the deplor- 
able effects of the contrary assumption on the mind of 
its chief advocate that it must be untenable, though such 
an argument would not be unjustifiable, but content my- 
self with the reflection that the sacrifice it demands is 
irrationally out of all proportion to the end sought to 
be attained. When we are compelled to surrender faith 
in God, to repudiate the reality of all outward things, to 
question everything most palpable and sure, for the sake 
of showing that no testimony can verify an alleged 
miracle, we are warranted in holding that were such 
wholesale skepticism abandoned the possible authen- 
tication of miracles would no longer be inconceivable. 
While the real ground of Mr. Hume's contention 
disappears before an adequate theistic hypothesis, the 
positions that depend on its solidity are likewise in 
themselves fanciful and fallacious. For instance, if it 
is fair to say that belief in matters of fact is based 
exclusively on experience, and that experience of the » 
constancy of natural law gives rise to certainty, whereas 


198 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


experience of the trustworthiness of human testimony 
gives rise to probability only, it is remarkable that 
men in all ages have been so ready to accept the 
probable against the certain. They have accepted 
miracles notwithstanding the uniformity of nature’s 
operations, and they have received the account of 
them on human testimony notwithstanding the rea- 
sons they have had for questioning its reliability. Not 
merely savages, but educated men and women, in 
the present as well as in the past, while admitting 
the regularity and order of the physical world, and 
while knowing that mendacity and illusion are not 
uncommon, yet constantly exhibit confidence in the 
occurrence of marvels, and listen to the evidence 
adduced in their support with respectful seriousness. 
Our own age is eminently scientific in spirit and 
method; but there is as much readiness now to credit 
narratives of supernatural visitations and of super- 
natural bodily cures as in the past. The phenomena 
of modern Spiritism and the facility with which strong- 
minded and cultivated people are convinced of their 
preternatural character, and with them the faith- 
healings and the mind-healings, which ignore the 
operations of acknowledged laws and which even pre- 
tend to counteract them, go to show clearly and posi- 
tively that all the experience of immutability has not 
prevented the most enlightened of communities from 
believing that in some sense it is not inconsistent with 
variation, or that in some sense there may be manifes- 
tations which ordinary causes cannot explain. That 
a group of philosophers hold for themselves that 
nature’s constancy gives rise to the idea of inviolable 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 199 


fixedness is not disputed; but the question to be 
decided is not what a few gentlemen have come to 
regard as true on the subject in debate. For when 
they appeal to experience, it js not of course their 
individual experience that is invoked, but that of 
humanity as a whole and in all ages. And the verdict 
of humanity would set aside their personal dictum ; 
for it never has claimed to have such experience 
of nature’s rigid and inexorable uniformity as is 
ascribed to it. At best then we have thus far in 
Mr. Hume’s argument only a speculation as to what 
ought to be, and in no sense a demonstration of what 
really is. 

It is singular that the famous argument against 
miracles overlooks our. dependence on what others 
have testified regarding the invariable and stereotyped 
uniformity which is the very gist of the controversy. 
Are we warranted in affirming from what we ourselves 
have seen and felt that there never could have been 
anything different in the past? Bishop Butler thinks 
that we are not, else would we be obliged to deny 
the creation, for we did not witness it; and _in- 
deed would be obliged by the same logic to ques- 
tion the reality of everything that has not come 
within the range of our own observation in the 
present. Then our belief in this alleged iron-clad 
changelessness that will not permit the interposition 
of a Divine Cause, though as has been explained 
no law need be broken or dishonored, must for the 
larger part rest on what others tell us; but it hardly 
seems consistent to credit their report so implicitly 
in this instance, and treat it as worthless when 


200 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


it is advanced in support of exceptional deviations 
from this same uniformity. It should, however, 
be remembered that the witness of the centuries 
is totally against Hume’s assumption; and more- 
over that it cannot be reconciled with the doctrine 
of evolution by variation of species. Professor 
Wallace has maintained that such variation can 
only rationally be accounted for on the hypothesis 
of interposition of a Higher Being, especially in the 
development of mind: 


We must admit the possibility that, if we are not the highest 
intelligences in the universe, some higher intelligence may have 
directed the process by which the human race was developed by 
means of more subtle agencies than we are acquainted with. 
—WNatural Selection, p. 360. 


Let us follow the hint given in this sentence, and it 
may convince us that judged in the light of reason 
and science the kind of immutability demanded by the 
exigencies of Mr. Hume’s line of attack cannot be 
maintained. 

It will, I suppose, be admitted that there was a time 
when man was not on the earth, whether seven thou- 
sand years ago or two hundred thousand makes no 
difference to the import of the admission. But 
whence came he? How came he to exist? It will be 
allowed without discussion that he was created by the 
immediate exercise of supernatural power, or he was 
evolved from some previous living organism. But if 
he was created directly by supernatural power then a 
miracle was performed; and if he was evolved the 
uniformity of nature is not a fact; and if deviated 
from in one instance why not in another, especially in 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 201 


the redemption of that being for whose origin nature 
had in some way departed from its usual opera- 
tions? 

But supposing we prefer to think of man’s appear- 
ance in the world as a birth, and himself at the first as 
the child of the anthropoid ape, his alleged immediate 
ancestor. What a transition! We do not usually 
consider its significance, how on one side of that birth 
stand brute parents—chattering animals—and on the 
other a rational being endued with conscience. This 
evolution is certainly astounding. Is it still going on? 
Do we find the process repeated in our times? If 
we do, then we have a most instructive example of 
nature’s uniform action, from at least the point of her 
one glorious departure; but if we do not, and that we 
do not needs no evidence, then in the presence of this 
one supreme exception we are compelled to acknowl- 
edge a miracle as stupendous as the resurrection of 
Jesus Christ. 

As we have seen, Mr. Hume’s thesis proceeds on 
three assumptions : 

1. That there is no God, and consequently no one 
capable of working a miracle. 

2. That we must believe our own experience of 
nature’s uniformity rather than any amount of human 
testimony to the contrary. 

3. That the constitution of nature is so inviolable 
as effectually to prevent the accomplishment of any 
act entitled to be regarded as miraculous. 

But these positions cannot be maintained. Our 
brief review of their merits has shown them to be 
untenable ; and with their fallaciousness the entire 


202 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


contention of the celebrated skeptic falls to the ground. 
It will doubtless go far toward confirming the conclu- 
sions we have reached in this discussion to take account 
of the fact that the extraordinary progress of primitive 
Christianity witnesses distinctly to the provableness 
of the miracle. Mr. Gibbon, and more recently Mr, 
Lecky, have tried to explain the speedy triumph of the 
Cross in the ancient world by purely naturalistic 
principles. Of these elaborate performances I shall 
have more to say in a subsequent chapter. But one 
thing is noticeable, neither of these authors denies 
that the success of the new faith was in a marked 
degree determined by popular belief in supernatural 
deeds wrought in attestation of its Divine authority. 
A reader of the Acts of the Apostles cannot fail to 
perceive that these wonders were constantly appealed 
to by the early preachers, and that in particular the 
resurrection of Christ was referred to in support of the 
doctrine they proclaimed. The Christian Fathers never 
hesitated to allude to these superhuman achievements, 
especially to the resurrection, as the real source of the 
remarkable influence exercised by the church of the 
first centuries. They argued that their reality could 
not be set aside, nor the testimony which supported 
them be invalidated, and that therefore multitudes had 
been constrained to acknowledge the supremacy of 
Jesus. We are all aware that wealth, learning, and 
coercion had nothing to do with the original successes 
of our religion, and that it never has presented attrac- 
tions to the worldly minded; and the conclusion there- 
fore seems inevitable that they sprang from the confi- 
dence inspired by the evidence addressed on behalf of 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES £03 


the supernatural. Unquestionably, miracles could be 
proved in those early days of conflict and of conquest ; 
and there is no sufficient reason for rejecting them as 
unprovable now. That we have grown incredulous, 
and cannot easily be persuaded, reflects on ourselves, 
not on the trustworthiness of the evidence advanced, 
and shows a change in us and in the habit of our 
thought, but not a change in the essential character of 
testimony. What convinced the people of the Roman 
empire ought to be adequate to convince the citizens 
of the old world and the new. 

It may be suggested that no merely rationalistic 
system could have prevailed in the times of the apos- 
tles ; but this supposition gives rise to another, whether 
it would be practicable for such a religion to perpetuate 
itself and accomplish much worth accomplishing even 
in this age of ours? Deprived of the supernatural, 
how much of sanctity and authority would survive? 
Robbed of that distinction religion could pretend to no 
revelations and could impart no assurance. JRepudi- 
ating it, men and women have still tried to worship and 
do good to their fellows ; but they have found no basis 
on which to rest duty or to make it anything other 
than mere preference, and they have been unable to 
comfort the afflicted with anything but a vague fancy 
relative to a future life. They have eulogized the gos- 
pel of soup and bread, clothes and shelter, have so 
idealized humanity as to substitute it for God himself, 
and have awakened a temporary interest in their experi- 
ments ; but the outcome has uniformly discouraged them. 
They have found that charity apart from spiritual com- 
munion with the Almighty increases its objects; that 


204 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the soup of to-day will not satisfy the poor of to-mor- 
row ; that pauperism actually grows under the touch of 
relief that is prompted simply by secularism ; and that 
the crowd soon turns up its nose at the worship of 
humanity. The Christianity that succeeds in bringing 
succor to the forlorn and destitute is unquestionably the 
Christianity that is grounded in the supernatural, and 
whose very doctrines are permeated through and 
through with the supernatural. The demand for this 
element was no more imperative in the apostolic age 
than in our own; and this fact at once exonerates the 
primitive disciples from the imputation of undue 
credulity, and deepens the conviction that there is 
nothing in the nature of our Lord’s victories over 
disease, death, and devils to prevent them from being 
adequately proven. 

FIrFTHLY. We may very fittingly, as we close this 
argument, consider the survival of the miracle. The 
objection is not unfrequently brought in our times that 
if this special kind of demonstration was necessary to 
the beginning of Christian progress, it surely cannot 
be dispensed with now; and yet it is asserted by many 
scholarly Christians that it is now incapable of repeti- 
tion. If the ancient miracle was in a sense the voice 
of God, why should we be restricted to a report of its 
speech, and not be permitted to hear it and judge it 
for ourselves? Why should not we be allowed to 
verify these alleged superhuman works, instead of 
being compelled to accept them on testimony? If it 
was important for the first converts to see them, why 
not equally as important for the last? There is 
much force in this criticism, and I have at times felt it 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 205 


very keenly myself. But it may be asked in reply, 
whether we are warranted in concluding that the mira- 
cle has entirely ceased, and has not anywhere or in any 
form survived? It is related cf Innocent IV. that he 
said to Thomas Aquinas, who stood amazed at the vast 
treasure he saw carried into the Vatican: «The day 
has now gone forever when the Church was compelled 
to say ‘silver and gold have I none’”’; and that Aquinas 
sadly replied: “Yes; and the time has also ceased 
when she could say, ‘ Arise, take up thy bed and walk.’ ” 
But has it ceased? Probably in religious communities 
where money is exalted, and where fashion and wealth 
are idolized, there may be no trace of the supernatural. 
Are we however justified on this account in affirming 
the cessation of its operations everywhere? I think 
not. There are not a few Christians who are very 
positive in declaring that marvelous works are as fre- 
quently performed now as in the apostolic period; and 
that now as then they are not subject to the whims 
and arbitrary demands of the creature, but are 
determined wholly by the will and wisdom of the 
Creator. Jesus did not perform them at the dictation 
of a mob, neither did he so multiply them as to unfit 
the people for self-reliant, thoughtful action. He 
employed them economically and sovereignly. So, it 
is claimed by some modern teachers, within the same 
limitations, they occur in his kingdom at present. 
Many books have been written to sustain this conten- 
tion, and many extraordinary circumstances favor its 
acceptance. On this point, however, I am not as 
decided as these esteemed brethren. But if I differ 


with them it is rather in regard to the mode of recent 
S 


206 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


supernatural manifestations, not as to the fact. After 
all, they may be right. But whether they are or not, 
their view may fairly be set in opposition to the objec- 
tion we are considering. It is argued if miracles were 
ever true they ought not to have ceased ; and a goodly 
company of intelligent and honest men and women 
step forward and assure us that this criticism proceeds 
entirely on a misapprehension, for to their certain 
knowledge the miracle has survived. And their testi- 
mony is surely entitled to as much weight as the over- 
confident asseverations of their opponents. 

While I personally doubt whether it can be shown 
that the form of apostolic miracles has been perpetu- 
ated, and doubt the wisdom in theological discussions 
of employing the word itself without careful discrimina- 
tion, I am satisfied that in every essential respect, 
and as far as substance is concerned, the thing for 
which the word stands has not ceased and never can. 
In my opinion one class of miracles was introduced 
into history to prepare the way for another, and to 
establish that other in the faith and love of the people. 
The first class was designed to be evanescent, while 
that which it confirmed was destined to be permanent ; 
and when the first had wrought its allotted task and was 
no longer needed it was definitely superseded by that 
which came to abide forever and ever. Christianity—in- 
cluding in that great term Jesus Christ, its light and its 
life—is this perpetual miracle, a stupendous event hav- 
ing a supernatural cause: It is itself a wonder and 
the source of wonders. The evidence that it is the 
product of such a cause is supplied by its own extra- 
ordinary influence and achievements. Though, accord- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 207 


ing to Buckle, food, climate, and scenery govern and 
determine the religious beliefs of nations, Christian- 
ity has succeeded in every land and has rescued multi- 
tudes from the power of external pernicious conditions. 
It has, in a word, occasioned constant deviations from 
the law of nature so far as such law has appeared to 
rule supreme in mind and conduct. Though philoso- 
phers assure us that character tends to inexorable 
permanency, Christianity has interrupted this regular 
order of sequence, and has delivered confirmed misers, 
drunkards, and libertines from its thrall. And though 
the heart shrinks and the feet falter at the approach of 
death, this gracious servant of the living God on the 
deepening of the inevitable and awful darkness has 
stepped in and taught the trembling soul to cry, 
“Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory 
through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Wisely, as well as 
eloquently, does Coleridge write: , 


Is not a true, efficient conviction of a moral truth, is not the 
creating of a new heart, which collects the energies of a man’s 
whole being in the focus of the conscience, the one essential 
miracle, the same and of the same evidence to the ignorant and 
to the learned, which no superior skill can counterfeit, human 
or demoniacal ? is it not emphatically that leading of the Father, 
without which no man can come to Christ? is it not that impli- 
cation of doctrine in the miracle and of miracle in the doctrine, 
which is the bridge of communication between the senses and 
the soul; that predisposing warmth which renders the under- 
standing susceptible of the specific impressions from the his- 
toric, and from all other outward seals of testimony?— The Friend, 
Volpi l.. LSsaycz, 


Yes ; and every time a man is born again, is begotten 
of God unto a living hope, there is for him, and not 


208 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


only for him, but for all who observe the startling 
and transforming change indubitable proof that the 
same power is at work in the world as that which 
called forth Lazarus from the dead. What need for 
the continuance of minor miracles in the presence of 
the majestic one ever disclosing itself before our 
eyes, and as beneficent as it is stupendous? Surely 
it furnishes its own proof; for it can be examined 
and can be tested at first hand by any one. The 
Christian system is its own witness; and the foun- 
dation on which it rests can be judged by the gran- 
deur of the superstructure without perpetually digging 
it up for inspection. Indeed the character of the 
spiritual edifice indicates the character of that which 
constitutes its basis; and if any person is so skepti- 
cally minded that he cannot trust the honest report of 
apostles and evangelists concerning what underlies the 
whole, there is nothing to hinder him from appealing 
to the building itself. 

The objection then, that the occurrence of miracles 
in the first century is improbable because there is 
nothing comparable to them in the nineteenth, is an- 
swered simply by the fact I have tried to make plain, 
that though differing in form they are as abundant 
to-day as formerly. It is not true, as is sometimes 
intimated, that Christians hold to one view of the 
world as they suppose it was in apostolic times, and 
to another as they picture it in their own; and that in 
the former the operations of the supernatural are con- 
ceivable, but according to the latter are impossible. 
This is not a fair representation of the case. The 
followers of Christ cherish the belief that as in the 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 209 


past, so now God rules in the habitations of men, often 
interposing, both in the spiritual and the physical do- 
mains, for the accomplishment of his gracious purposes 
in the redemption of mankind. . They know nothing of 
any world or of any age that is not centered in the super- 
natural, and through which the supernatural does not 
manifest itself. If there were nothing corresponding to 
the miracle in modern life they would hesitate long 
before appealing to its evidence. Its entire absence 
from contemporary experience and observation would 
naturally intensify the doubt as to whether it was ever 
a possibility. As it is, the phenomenon in some fashion 
being perpetual, there is no insurmountable difficulty 
in believing that it was displayed at the beginning on 
behalf of Christianity;.and as the testimony to its 
occurrence at that period, tried by the severest tests 
both critical and philosophical, has never been invali- 
dated, its consequences ought to be candidly accepted. 

Doubtless there are some persons who will turn 
away from this argument with the flippant remark 
that such beliefs have forever ceased. Intelligent so- 
ciety has outgrown them. The most cultivated minds 
evince no kind of respect for them, and hardly even pa- 
tience when they are mentioned. No longer is humanity 
under the dominion of ghosts. Such is the talk in 
certain circles, and many individuals, who have never 
investigated for themselves, are influenced by it to 
their own undoing. Happily has Guizot replied to such 
gratuitous dogmatism : 


Incredible conceit of man! What, because in a corner of 
the world in one day among ages brilliant progress may have 


210 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


been made in natural and historical science ; because in the 
name of the sciences and in brilliant books the supernatural 
has been combated, they proclaim it vanquished, abolished, and 
we hear the judgment pronounced, not merely in the name of 
the learned, but of the people! . . . True there are in our days 
among the people, many fathers, mothers, children, who believe 
themselves incredulous, and mock scornfully at miracles ; but 
follow them in the intimacy of their homes, among the trials of 
their lives, how do these parents act when their child is ill, those 
farmers when their crops are threatened, those sailors when they 
float upon the waters a prey to the tempest? They elevate their 
eyes to heaven, they burst forth in prayer, they invoke that 
supernatural power said by you to be abolished in their very 
thought. By their spontaneous and irresistible acts they give to 
your words and to their own a striking disavowal.—Meditations, 
First series, p. 115. 


He is right; mankind has no more emancipated 
itself from belief in what the modern naturalist de- 
rides than it has freed itself from bondage to the 
atmosphere. And it is well that it has not; for 
were so impossible a feat accomplished disaster would 
be sure to follow. In the case of individuals this 
has frequently been verified; but wretched indeed 
would the race be were the eclipse of faith to be- 
come general. Dr. Hickson has recently furnished 
the public a very readable account of deep sea fauna, 
and he has given a view of life at the depth of some 
miles that is quite novel and instructive. He tells us 
that “At a depth of two thousand five hundred fathoms 
the pressure per square inch on the body of every 
animal is twenty-five times greater than the power 
required to drive a railway train; a pressure which 
completely pulverized a thick glass tube filled with air 
and sealed.” It will readily be understood that crea- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES 211 


tures adjusted to this peculiar environment would find it 
difficult to exist under other conditions. Hence we are 
told by another writer, when an animal accustomed to 
these peculiar surroundings wanders upward, probably in 
search of food, and goes too far, the pressure diminishes, 
the swim bladder of the creature enlarges, and really, 
before he knows it, he whirls with ever-increasing 
velocity to the surface as a man might descend from a 
steeple or a precipice, and with exactly the same result. 
The fate of such an adventurous creature discloses not 
only a law, but is in itself a parable. With even 
greater force than prevails in the abysses of the 
ocean, does the supernatural bear on us, and that too 
on every side. We were made to exist in its depths 
and to inhale its very breath. When it is recognized, 
and we are content with its restraining limitations, we 
are prospered; but when we are dissatisfied with our 
position in the universe and are anxious, as we term it, 
to rise, inflation becomes our ruin, and our “tumble 
upward” carries with it conscious separation from God 
and the extinction of everything like faith in a life to 
come. JDeplorable as this calamity is in a single in- 
stance, it would be well-nigh overwhelming in tragical 
horribleness were it to overtake society at large. Asa 
general emptying of the inhabitants from the lower deeps 
of the sea would cover its surface with putrefying death 
and convert it into an intolerable curse, so were men 
and women everywhere and without exception to reject 
the supernatural, the world would speedily present a 
woeful spectacle of spiritual decay and moral corrup- 
tion. But as so dismal a fate has not as yet in any 
perceptible degree settled on the race, we may safely 


212 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


conclude, however a few cultivated gentlemen may 
indulge in feathery speech to the contrary, that this 
belief still survives, and is likely to survive forever. 
And I am persuaded when thoughtful people come to 
realize that every movement away from the super- 
human leads to a movement in the direction of the 
anti-human, the idle talk against miracles will be 
shamed into everlasting silence. 


Cye Wades ate WA 
THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 


HE announcement of things coming on the earth 
was made in the hearing of the entire world, and 

at any time all the world can judge of its significance, 
and determine whether or not it has been accomplished. 
Dr. Albert Barnes has suggested that the student of 
to-day can visit the site of ruined Petra, or the deso- 
late scenes where once the merchant city of Tyre 
spread out its bazaar-crowded thoroughfares, can con- 
template the waste places of Jerusalem and hear the 
Jews at the “weeping stone” bewailing the destruc- 
tion of their magnificent temple, can wander through 
the exhumed palaces of Nineveh, and catch a glimpse 
of “the wild beasts of the deserts,” “the doleful crea- 
tures,” and of the “owls” that dwell in Babylon; and 
can decide for himself whether the prophets spake “as 
they were moved by the Holy Ghost”’ when they fore- 
told the destiny of these great centers of life and 
activity. Nor need he limit the range of his examina- 
tion to such specific and sharply defined instances of 
vaticination ; but may enlarge its scope so as to em- 
brace the complete prophetic delineation of the future, 
with its promises of the Messiah and of the Messiah’s 
kingdom, with its sad prognostics regarding “ Israel 
according to the flesh,” and with its fair optimistic 


visions of man’s final redemption from the curse. 
213 


214 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


He may go back to the distant past when the develop- 
ments of history were foreshadowed, and he may 
Slowly descend to the present and note for himself how 
closely the building being erected corresponds to the 
plans of the Architect. No question as to the rele- 
vancy of evidence need perplex him, and no suspicions 
of illusion or deception need depress him. His way is 
clear. No northwest passage impedes his entrance 
into the open sea of truth. The task before him is 
simply one of comparison. He is merely called on to 
compare what was said with what has been done. 
Such an undertaking is as easy as for it to be deter- 
mined whether the Cologne Cathedral, finished in our 
day, corresponds to the drawings and specifications of 
the sacred edifice prepared centuries ago, and carefully 
preserved in the master workman’s office. It is as 
feasible and practicable as to compare a face with the 
portrait, or a landscape with a picture in which it is 
reproduced. And if it could be shown, as it can in 
the case of prophecy, that the portrait was painted 
before the face was born, and that the representation 
of the landscape came from the brush before the origi- 
nal had been created, it would hardly be doubted that 
the gift which could execute so accurately in anticipa- 
tion of what was to be, received its inspiration from 
the supernatural. 

If the inquirer shall permit the force of this demon- 
stration to be weakened,by the not altogether unnatural 
misgiving as to the possibility of marvelous fore- 
knowledge, let him consider that as God is spirit and 
man is spirit, there is nothing inherently incredible, 
especially as like is on terms of correspondence with 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 215 


like everywhere, in the supposition that the one influ- 
ences the other, and can transmit to the other some 
rays of its omniscience. Recently the phonograph has 
startled and charmed society with its wonders. Words 
spoken into the ear of the instrument are retained, and 
at the will of the operator can be reproduced in sense 
and in sound by its mouth. That the creature can do 
this much is at least presumptive proof that the 
Creator can do more. Edison fashions a machine that 
can receive a thought from Browning, can treasure it 
in the very language, and can communicate it exactly 
and in the very voice of the poet to future ages. This 
no one questions. It is a fact patent to eyes and 
ears. But is the mind less susceptible to impressions 
from its Divine Author than the delicate material sur- 
face ready to record each note and intonation in the 
extraordinary contrivance of the Menlo Park wizard? 
Manifestly not. How solemnly sublime is memory. 
It retains whole libraries of knowledge, entire galleries 
of art, carries the burdens of the British Museum and 
of the Vatican without exhaustion, and in addition 
imprints upon its tablets all the events of personal his- 
tory, and fixes on its immeasurable canvas the faces 
and figures of cherished friends and hated foes. 
Strange indeed would it be were it thus hospitable to 
myriads of guests and yet be incapable of opening 
the doors of the soul to the Being in whose image the 
soul was fashioned at the first ; and stranger still, if he 
who shaped it should have barred its doors against 
himself. All doubts on this point may reasonably be 
abandoned. God assuredly can communicate himself 
to mind; and “he who sees the end from the begin- 


216 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


ning,’ through mind can foreshadow the vast historic 
movements that are to usher in the ultimate destiny of 
mankind. 

Left to himself, man’s knowledge of the future is 
exceedingly limited. He is sufficiently curious to leave 
nothing undiscovered. The past yields its treasures, 
and the present surrenders much to conquering inquis- 
itiveness, but to-morrow is mockingly silent. Man 
may knock loudly at its door; he may try to thrust it 
open ; but it resists his anxious endeavors. Hope may 
imagine what is on the other side; despair may fore- 
dread it ; and sagacity may determine what ought to be 
there. But the mind left to its unaided resources can 
never be certain of what lies beyond the horizon of to- 
day. The very great surprise expressed when guesses 
are realized, and expectations or fears are fulfilled, 
proves how little reliance we feel is to be placed on our 
own anticipations of coming events. Memory is 
granted us that we may be guided by what has been, 
and that experience may arm us against approaching 
contingencies. Prevision is not ours. That is a super- 
natural gift, only conferred and in such manner as to 
furnish indubitable evidence of God's gracious purposes 
toward mankind. When it proceeds from him it 
neither supersedes man’s freedom, nor qualifies him to 
defeat its predictions. There is a very general im- 
pression among thoughtful men that this impenetrable 
obscurity, save when ‘broken here and there by the 
Divine will, is a most wise and benevolent provision. 
“Fortunately for us mortals,’ says Mr. Froude, 
“necessary as any future may be, and inevitable as by 
our own actions we may have made it, it is kindly kept 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY alt), 


from us wrapt up in clouds, and we not made wretched 
about it by anticipation.” DeQuincey, referring to 
Lord and Lady Castlereagh writes: ‘They were both 
young at this time, and both wore an impressive 
appearance of youthful happiness ; neither, happily for 
their peace of mind, able to pierce that cloud of years, 
not much more than twenty, which divided them from 
the day destined in one hour to wreck the happiness of 
both.” You may recall the scene described by M. 
Dumas, where Cagliostro professes to see the fate of 
La Perouse. He was asked why not have warned the 
doomed man before his departure. In his reply he 
says: “If he had believed me, it would only have 
been the more horrible; for he would have seen him- 
self approaching the isles destined to be fatal to him, 
without the power to escape from them. Therefore 
he would have died, not one, but a hundred deaths, for 
he would have gone through it all by anticipation. 
Hope, of which I should have deprived him, is what 
best sustains a man under all trials.” Better doubtless 
is it that our vision is thus restricted; and better for 
us if we crave not to “see the distant scene,” but, 
content with one step at a time, can sing with Newman: 
‘‘Lead, kindly Light! amid the encircling gloom, 
Lead thou me on.”’ 

It is sometimes intimated by those who would neu- 
tralize the testimony of prophecy, that some few per- 
sons are so highly endowed that they can foresee what 
is coming to pass, or are so thoroughly versed in the 
motives and conditions of human activity as to foretell 
the course of unacted history. This it is granted may 


not always be a desirable power ; but it is claimed there 
T 


218 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


is no question as to its naturalness ; and the difference 
between this and prophecy, it is argued, is imper- 
ceptible. : 

My answer is, that one part of this implied compari- 
son is marked by exaggeration and the other part by 
depreciation. Undoubtedly there are men, merchants, 
soldiers, statesmen, of remarkable foresight; and its 
exercise is manifestly necessary to the greatest success. 
But after all that can be said on its behalf, how limited 
and circumscribed it is. At the best its most confident 
auguration only amounts to probability, never to cer- 
tainty. Markets do not always correspond to expec- 
tation, and war and statecraft do not always move 
along pre-determined lines. Dr. Barnes quotes Ma- 
caulay’s startling supposition in regard to the time 
when London may be a scene of wide desolation, and 
an inhabitant of New Zealand on the ruins of London 
Bridge may sketch the fallen towers and walls of St. 
Paul’s, and adds: “This is sublime in the description 
of what might—of what may occur. But it is not 
prophecy. If he had said that this z2// de, it would 
be prophecy.” But neither Macaulay nor any other 
author could write thus positively of this or any other 
contingency with the absolute certainty of its fulfill- 
ment, without supernatural aid. 

An attempt has been made of late years, especially 
by Mr. Buckle, to formulate a science of history, the 
spirit of which is indicated by the following passages : 
«Everything which occurs is regulated by law, and con- 
fusion and disorder are impossible”; and “the actions 
of men, being determined solely by their antecedents, 
must have a character of uniformity, that is to say, 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 219 


must, under precisely the same circumstances, always 
issue in precisely the same results.” It is apparent 
that this is simply a species of unadulterated fatalism ; 
and if it is true that human actions are governed by 
necessity, by “skyey influences,” and by food, soil, and 
climate, let all the circumstances be known and the 
result can be told beforehand with as much confi- 
dence as we predict the occurrence of an eclipse, the 
transit of a star, or the return of a comet after it has 
wandered for centuries through the boundless fields 
of space. In answer to this singular theory we may 
be permitted to observe that even if such calculations 
are possible, there are no authenticated instances of 
their ever having been successfully made; and from all 
that we know of history had they been accomplished 
they would have been as surprising as the gift of proph- 
ecy which the theory aims to discredit. 

The unexpected continually confronts us as we re- 
view the annals of the race. Who from any number 
of pre-existent antecedents could have announced the 
invention of gunpowder, printing, the telegraph, or 
the application of steam? Who could have so nicely 
calculated as to herald, even fifty years before his ap- 
pearance, the phenomenal career of a Napoleon, of a Kos- 
suth, or of a Bismarck? And who from the conditions 
prevailing when Jesus was born, from the bigotry, nar- 
rowness, prejudice, could have described in advance, 
his spiritual character and his sublime ministry? This 
fatalistic doctrine overlooks or denies the one mighty 
factor of variableness in human affairs—the w7l/, with 
all the unexplored resources that lie in the restless, 
thinking soul. A single man may rise, like Luther, 


220 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


and change the whole current of events; or like Watt, 
revolutionize the civilization of ages. And a marvel- 
ous discoverer may, though unlooked for, arise on the 
morrow, and as by the wave of a magic wand, trans- 
form the face of society. Evidently, therefore, how- 
ever we may infer various general results from the uni- 
form operation of particular laws, no such process can 
ever approach to the definiteness and precision of proph- 
ecy. Prophecy is not hope, for that is at best but a 
waking dream; neither is it foresight, for that after 
all extends only to the probable; and neither is it a 
species of mechanical arithmetic, for in the sum of hu- 
man possibilities two and two, when souls are counted, 
do not always make four—they may make a dozen 
in power and achievements. Where all these methods 
of exploring the future fail, true prophecy succeeds. 
It affirms what z2// be, not what may be, in the com- 
ing time; and it is so specific and clear that to prevent 
misconception it localizes the place, determines the 
period, and even in some instances furnishes the names 
and portraits of the chief actors in the events foretold. 
It is history antedating history; and he who writes it 
gives proof of more than natural endowment, however 
remarkable such endowment may be. 

The Scriptures utter no dubious sound on this 
point. They assume, affirm, and announce that the 
prophets are directly inspired and qualified for their 
sublime vocation by the Almighty; and that, while 
they are called to instruct, warn, and rebuke, they are 
also commissioned to make known the future. The 
name they bear is supposed to signify “one inspired,” 
or one who “bubbles over” as from an inward spring 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 221 


or living fountain. At times they are described as 
“seers,” indicating the mode of receiving divine com- 
munications, as it is written, “I, the Lord, will make 
myself known to them in a vision.” Hosea employs 
the phrase, ‘Man of the Spirit” (9: 7), to denote the 
agency by which they were taught and illuminated. 
Hence also we read, ‘“ Prophecy came not at any time 
by the will of man ; but holy men of God spake as they 
were moved,” or as they were carried away, “by the 
Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1: 21). An instance of this 
we have in the passage when, referring to Moses and 
the elders, it is recorded, ‘“‘ The Lord came down in a 
cloud, and spake unto him’’—Moses —“and took of 
the Spirit that was upon him, and gave it to the 
seventy elders; and it came to pass that when the 
Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied and did not 
cease” (Num. 11:25). It was never deemed a suff- 
cient preparation for this office that its holder should 
have been educated. There was indeed a school of the 
prophets; but in every case the instruction received 
had to be supplemented by a clear and unmistakable 
call from God himself. Moses was audibly addressed 
by Jehovah; Samuel thought at first that Eli sum- 
moned him, before he realized that it was the Lord’s 
voice that called him; Isaiah saw the Lord on his 
throne and heard the words, ‘‘ Whom shall I send ? and 
who will go for us?” Ezekiel felt that the Divine 
hand was upon him; and Amos, a herdsman and a 
gatherer of sycamore fruit, was taken as “he followed 
the flock,” and was told to “go prophesy unto Israel.” 
From these examples, and from many express declara- 
tions in the Old Testament, we learn that the Jewish 


222 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


people believed that God revealed himself through his 
chosen servants; and that in doing so he disclosed his 
providential care by unfolding to them the great move- 
ments of coming ages. Whether they erred in this 
view or not facts alone can decide, but that they ad- 
hered to it tenaciously must be conceded. They held 
that he spoke to men, and that only as he communi- 
cated with them were they qualified to speak or the 
people bound to hear. Nor do they hesitate to judge 
their claim to this distinction by the simplest of all 
methods, namely, by the correspondence of the event 
with the prediction. “When a prophet speaketh in 
the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come 
to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not 
spoken.” ‘The prophet which prophesieth of peace, 
when the word of the prophet shall come to pass then 
shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly 
Sentishimm (Deut 15% 22 se /ere2oroO) amen y aati 
same rule must he be tried to-day. Claiming to be 
sent by the Almighty, to represent his purpose regard- 
ing the future, we can only determine whether he was 
deceived or deceiving by determining whether his 
word has been fulfilled or not. The Bible itself sug- 
gests the criterion, and it is our duty to apply it. 
Perhaps it ought to be said before we proceed to 
examine any of their predictions, that the prophets as 
a class were singularly in advance of their age in char- 
acter and sentiment, and that in themselves they 
illustrated some of the more spiritual features of 
their own predictions. What they declared religion 
would be in coming years, it was seen to be in no 
small measure in themselves. Ponder a few of their 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 223 


utterances. They denounce those “who draw near to 
God with their lips, but remove their heart far from 
him.” Reformation of life they affirm is worth more 
than external forms: “To what. purpose is the multi- 
tude of your sacrifices? ... Wash you, make you 
clean; put away the evil of your doings from before 
mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well; seek 
judgment, relieve the oppressed ; judge the fatherless, 
plead for the widow.” While they manifest no disre- 
spect for Levitical institutions, and appreciate their im- 
portance for the time being, they are not in servile 
bondage to them, and are free to point out their limita- 
tions and abuses. In this respect they are more like 
Christians than Jews. They only mention Moses 
thrice in all their writings, and never mention Sinai or 
the high priest. Their antagonism to dead legalism is 
clearly pronounced. “Behold to obey,” said Samuel, 
“is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat 
of rams.” “What doth the Lord require of thee,” 
asks Micah, “but to do justice, and to love mercy, and 
to walk humbly with thy God?” And Ezekiel utters 
the strange words, “I gave them also statutes that were 
not good, and judgments whereby they should not 
live” ;. doubtless meaning that the ceremonial law, 
while serving a pictorial purpose, was not designed as 
the standard of the truest and noblest life (Isa. 1: 11-17; 
Micahs6173'; bzekh20) 122550 PS: 51 sal 6,.e0tc jeetc., ‘etc.). 
In these passages and in multitudes of others they 
evince the highest and deepest spiritual discernment. 
Christianity has not as yet, with all of its avowed endea- 
vors in this direction, been able to reach the height of 
this conception. Many churches are still in bondage to 


224 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the letter, though they have the example of Christ and 
the precepts of apostles to teach them better. 

How comes it that these men, at a period when 
religion was essentially a matter of form in all lands, 
when it was burdened by rites and circumscribed 
by temples, attained an ideal of its real nature and 
grandeur, which has not been surpassed by even the 
broadest of modern thinkers, and has really only been 
transcended by Christ? It could not have been earth- 
born; for there was nothing on earth to suggest it. 
Whence then came it? And whence came the power 
to illustrate and exhibit its beauty in character and 
deed? Aye, to exhibit; for this the teachers did by 
whom it was proclaimed. No nation of antiquity pro- 
duced moral heroes, instructors, and reformers like to 
the prophets. These exalted leaders were generally 
upright, disinterested, self-sacrificing, and devoted. 
They fearlessly reproved vice and upheld virtue, mani- 
fested the loftiest enthusiasm for righteousness, and 
they still sway the race by their fervor and consecra- 
tion. Indeed, what Victor Hugo says of Isaiah may 
with but slight modification be applied to nearly all of 
them : 


Isaiah engages in battle, hand to hand, with the evil, which 
in civilization makes its appearance before the good. He cries, 
‘Silence !’’at the noise of chariots, of festivals, of triumphs. 
The doom of his prophecy falls even on nature: he gives Baby- 
lon over to the moles and the bats ; Nineveh to the briers, Tyre 
to ashes, Jerusalem to night; he fixes a night for oppressors, 
warns the powers of the approaching end, assigns a day against 
idols, against high citadels, against the fleets of Tarsus, against 
all the cedars of Lebanon, against all the oaks of Bashan. He 
stands upon the threshold of civilization, and he refuses to enter. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 225) 


It would seem that these men of God not only antici- 
pated the spirit and genius of Christianity, when they 
spake, but foreshadowed in their acts what Christians 
would be or ought to be in the favored ages. In 
thought and life, they not only outstripped their own 
era, but in some respects went beyond our own. Can 
mere naturalism explain this phenomenon? How ac- 
count for this glorious outburst of spiritual grace and 
strength, if not on the supposition that God was its 
ineffable source? Evolution does not suffice for the 
solution of the problem. By what process of natural 
selection could such characters, with their magnificent 
visions and lofty sentiments have been unfolded from 
the social corruption, narrow legalism, superstitious in- 
tolerance, and deadly antagonisms of their times? That 
they were the inspired messengers of the Almighty is 
a sufficient explanation, and one that really means 
something, while the evolutionary hypothesis is at the 
best as vague and indefinite as it is unsatisfactory. It 
is merely a term that may signify much or little as 
circumstances determine; and in this case it is alto- 
gether too loose and uncertain for it to be of any ser- 
vice in accounting for the prophets and their work. 
Their personality is of the highest and profoundest im- 
port. When I read that in the Mont Blanc range, on 
a triangular rock, rising from the midst of the Glacier 
de Taléfre some nine thousand feet above the sea, 
blooms the Jardin, an oasis abundant and beautiful in 
Alpine flowers, I know that this speck of summer in the 
heart of winter is not due to evolution from ice and 
cold but to peculiar and exceptional conditions. And 
when I recall the prophetic period of history, a very 


226 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


garden of the Lord, surrounded on all sides by bleak- 
ness, barrenness, and glacial frigidity, the very time- 
circle of past, present, and future which surrounded it, 
being a veritable arctic circle, I conclude that it was 
no outgrowth of environments, but was planted in the 
midst of the ages by the hand of the Almighty and was 
watered and sunned by his ever-gracious Spirit. And 
in thus concluding, I am justified in regarding this era 
as a self-evident disclosure of the supernatural, and 
though I may not live to see this foregleam of the com- 
ing glory completely realized, the fact that we cannot 
reasonably question its heavenly origin, ought to con- 
vince us that the Christian religion with whose exist- 
ence it is inextricably blended, must also be the direct 
gift of God.! 

Victor Hugo propounds the question: “What is 
genius?” and straightway proceeds to answer in his 
own epigrammatic and enigmatical way : 


Is it not perchance a cosmic soul—a soul penetrated by a ray 
from the unknown. . . These lofty souls, momentarily belong- 
ing to earth, have they not seen something else? Some of them 
full of the dreams of a previous world. Is it thence that comes 
to them the terror that they sometimes feel? Is it this which 
inspires them with perplexing words? Is it this which fills them 
with strange agitations? 


I have quoted these questions as they represent to 
some extent the state of mind which credulous skeptics 
impute to the prophets when they try to deal with the 
mystery of their appearance and vocation. It is boldly 


1 See Robertson Smith, ‘ Lectures on Old Testament”; Talbot, in “ Lux Mundi” ; 
Duff, ‘‘Old Test. ‘Uheology”; Renan, “ Histoire du Peufple a’ Israel”: Fairbairn, 
“‘ Prophecy” ; Ewald, ‘‘ Die Propheten des Alten Bundes”; Reuss, “ La Bible"; 
and Bruce, ‘‘ Apologetics.’’ 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 227 


alleged that they exhibit the “fine phrensy,”’ the sub- 
lime incoherence, and the ecstatic tremblings of genius, 
for which likewise the diviners, soothsayers, and ora- 
cles of other faiths were celebrated. The purpose of 
this association is evidently to discredit their vaticina- 
tions, and by a stroke remove them entirely from the 
domain of serious investigation. But in fact there 
is no reason for these comparisons, and they are due 
either to inexcusable misconceptions or culpable mis- 
representations. There is nothing in the conduct and 
manner of the true seer, as he is portrayed in Holy 
Writ, suggestive of the Pythian oracle as pictured by 
Lucan : 


She madly raves through the cavern, impelled by another’s 
mind, with the fillets of the god and the garland of Phoebus 
shaken from her erected hair; she whirls around the void space 
of the temple, turning her face in every direction ; she scatters 
the tripods which come in her way, and is agitated with violent 
commotion because she is under thy angry influence, O Apollo. 
—FPharsalia, 5. 


That God’s servants were free from such extravagant 
emotions and excessive excitement may be inferred 
from Professor Huxley’s tribute to their important 
achievements. In the “Nineteenth Century,” 1886, 
he says that they “created the first consistent, re- 
morseless, naked Monotheism which, so far as history 
records, appeared in the world . . . and they insepar- 
ably united therewith an ethical code, which for its 
purity and efficiency as a bond of social life, was and 
is unsurpassed.” Such men as these cannot fairly be 
classified with wild fanatics and muttering and shriek- 
ing diviners. 


228 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


But a more serious misapprehension has of late 
appeared in the writing of various scholars, who are 
either identified with the church or claim to be its sin- 
cere friends and supporters, and whose opinions are con- 
fessedly entitled to respectful consideration. I have 
no doubt that it is the result of the powerful trend of 
thought from the supernatural which is characteristic 
of our times. Theologians and exegetes feel its influ- 
ence; and though they may not always acknowledge 
its effect on their theories and interpretations, onlookers 
can hardly fail to see that they, though perhaps not 
always knowingly, are infatuated with the modern craze 
for naturalism, pure and simple. If they can eliminate 
the miraculous element from the events and the revela- 
tions recorded in the Bible they are happy. They 
regard this process as synonymous with advanced 
thought and advanced criticism; and if the drift con- 
tinues much farther we shall come to the anomalous 
condition when advancement of thought will be mea- 
sured by its distance from God, and when the progress 
of criticism will be decided by its having left nothing 
worth contending for, or living for, in revealed religion. 

The misapprehension to which I refer is that which 
represents the prophets as never in reality pretend- 
ing to foretell the future. Defending them from the im- 
putations against their sanity, insisting that they ought 
not to be classed with tempestuous and bewildered sooth- 
sayers and dervishes, it is maintained that they were only 
optimistic poets who did not predict things coming on 
the earth, but merely indulged in indefinite visions, such 
as a sentimental nature deeply imbued with morality 
might inspire. It has been said that the Old Testa- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 229 


ment “does not merely contain prophecies: it is from 
first to last a prophecy.’’ No objection can reason- 
ably be brought against the last statement if the first 
clause of the sentence is understood to mean what it 
actually says. But when Dr. Bruce more than implies 
that only in a very general sense is it true that there is 
prophecy in the Bible, and only in such a sense as to 
render it practically unfit for apologetic purposes, I 
must dissent. He writes: 

The apologetic value of Hebrew prophecy does not lie in pre- 
dictions of future events capable of being used as miraculous 
buttresses to the Christian faith. Prediction is a feature of 
prophecy, could not fail to be; for what could men, who with 
their whole soul believed in a moral order of the world, do but 
declare that if sin was persisted in punishment would certainly 
follow? as 
To do merely this hardly required the inspiration which 
Dr. Bruce ascribes to these men of God.! Other sages 
and poets, claiming no Divine assistance, have been con- 
vinced of the triumph of right and have foreseen the 
downfall of evil, and have sung of the final supremacy 
of good. Did Isaiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel differ from 
Virgil, Wordsworth, and Tennyson in degree only. But 
even Dr. Bruce seems to stagger before the legitimate 
extension and application of the principle he has laid 
down when he confronts it in the hands of Matthew 
Arnold. That famous Hellenist wrote in “ Literature 
and Dogma” : 

Is not the correspondence between the prophetic ideals and 
the history of Jesus only an accidental coincidence ; very re- 


markable certainly, yet possessing no religious significance such 
as that assertion implies? When you say that Jesus is Christ, 


1“ Apologetics,” p. 242. 


U 


230 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


you mean that it was God’s pre-announced purpose that sucha 
personage should come, and that in Jesus that purpose found its 
fulfillment. Might not the prophetic ideals be poetic dreams, 
and the correspondence between them and the life of Jesus, so 
far as real, only a curious historical phenomenon ? 


Against this inference Dr. Bruce protests in the fol- 
lowing vigorous phraseology : 

Such skepticism is possible only to those who have no faith in 
a living God who works out purposes in history. It is an atti- 
tude toward history analogous to that of the materialist toward 
the physical constitution of the universe. As the materialist re- 
gards the world as the product of a fortuitous concourse of 
atoms, so the man who, on the grounds indicated, doubts the 
Messianic claims of Jesus, regards history as a succession of 
events in which no trace of a Providence can be discovered. 

Why is not this criticism as pertinent in his own 
case as inthat of Matthew Arnold? If there are specific 
predictions in the Old Testament regarding the Christ, 
why may there not be others equally definite relating 
to the movements of men and nations? Contending 
as he does for the reality of the former, he cannot con- 
sistently deny the more than possibility of the latter. 
The pre-announcements of the Messiah are certainly 
of “apologetic value”; and if there are others they 
are of too much worth to be overlooked or ignored. 
And that there are others and many others, Knobel 
testifies, and his judgment in the premises is entitled 
to the utmost weight. He says: “ By far the greatest 
portion of the prophetic discourses consists in delinea- 
tions of the future, or predictions referring partly to 
the Jehovah people, and therefore to the kingdom of 
Israel and Judah; partly to foreign nations who came 
in contact with the Hebrews.” This view is confirmed 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 231 


by Hitzig, who writes: “The prophet predicts the 
coming evil, which is always an ordinance of Jehovah ; 
for Jehovah makes him acquainted beforehand with 
that which he had decreed.”” We have no right then, to 
lose sight of the particular in the general, or to resolve 
all the distinct landmarks of the coming times into a 
monotonous plain bounded by the sunrise and sunset 
of history, revealing nothing but what is patent to the 
dullest senses, and affording no guide to the perplexed 
feet of the pilgrim. And though it may in a measure 
be true as Kirkpatrick' has graphically expressed it, 
that “the fulfillment of prophecy could not have 
been conjectured from the prophecy any more than 
the oak tree could, apart from experience, be conjec- 
tured from the acorn,” still the generations that have 
lived since the fulfillment see clearly the relation of the 
acorn to the oak, of the seed to the flower; and see- 
ing this can hardly doubt that back of plant and proph- 
ecy alike predominate a Divine purpose and the Divine 
energy. 

It is impossible within the limits of a single chapter 
to do more than furnish illustrations of the miraculous 
previsions which enter so largely into the old inspired 
literature. These, however, must be presented, at 
least as suggestive helps to a fuller examination of the 
whole subject by the student himself, to whom is 
recommended the works indicated below.? 


1 “* Divine Library of the Old Testament ”’ 

2 Keith, on ‘‘ Prophecy ’’; Driver, ‘‘ Literature of the Old Testament”; Heinrich 
Ewald, ‘‘Gesch, des Volkes Israel,” and Dean Stanley’s ‘* Jewish Church,” founded on 
the former ; Rawlinson’s ‘‘ Ancient Monarchies ” ; Robertson Smith, ‘‘ The Prophets 
of Israel”; Knobel, ‘‘ Der Proph. Jes.” ; Aug. Tholuck, ‘‘ Die Propheten,” etc. : 


,’ 


C. A. Brigzs, ‘‘ Messianic Prophecy ”; and F. W, Farrar, ‘‘ Minor Prophets.” 


232 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


The examples that may with profit, on account of 
their simplicity and directness, be adduced in this re- 
statement of the Argument from Prophecy, are those 
that relate to certain secular and spiritual communities, 
to the most extraordinary people of history, and to the 
most marvelous personality of the ages. We begin, 
therefore, with Nahum and his “ burden of Nineveh.” 
This servant of God recorded his dark visions of the 
doom awaiting that city, according to Knobel, whom 
rationalistic critics admire and trust, sometime between 
713 and 711 B.c. Canon Driver however suggests a 
later date, saying: “The terminus a guo is the cap- 
ture of Thebes in Egypt . .. by Assurbanipal, 
shortly after 664; the zerminus ad quem, the destruc- 
tion of Nineveh by the Babylonians and Medes in 607% 
That is, if we follow Knobel, upward of a hundred years 
elapse between the writing and the tragedy ; if we fol- 
low Driver, even then more than fifty years divide 
them. But these conquerors were also to array them- 
selves against God’s people, and Isaiah proclaimed the 
inevitable calamity (chap. 39) long before the Baby- 
lonian power regarded itself as strong enough to cope 
with Nineveh. Micah is equally explicit on this theme. 
He relates how the Hebrews should be led into their 
second bondage, and, according to some authorities, 
fully two hundred years before the accomplishment of 
their deliverance, described their return to Jerusalem. 
(Mican MigtgsOs acu 24 gehen One 13.) The passages 
which chronicle these momentous movements are 
admitted to be genuine, and their fulfillment is a 
matter of history. Tyre likewise was a subject of 
prophecy. Isaiah (chap. 23) a long while before the 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 233 


mighty agent in working out the desolations recorded 
had acquired national prominence or importance, gave 
a detailed account of what should occur. Gesenius in 
his “Commentary,” thus explains the language of a 
part of the prediction: 


Behold, this people of the Chaldeans, a little while ago 
inhabitants of the deserts, to whom the Assyrians first assigned 
settled habitations and made it a people : this hitherto insignifi- 
cant people, scarcely deserving mention, shall be the instrument 
of the destruction of the ancient world-wide famous city of 
Tyre. 


It is historically certain that Tyre was besieged by 
the Chaldeans and commercially ruined, and that new 
Tyre, situated on the island and subsequently devastated 
by Alexander, submitted to the conqueror. (‘ Jose- 
phus Antiq.” B. 10, C. 11.) Jeremiah and Ezekiel 
(Jer. 1; Ezek. 26: 4, 5) trace her vicissitudes to her final 
doom ; and the latter in the name of the Lord writes : 


I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top 
of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the 
midst of the sea. . 


Concerning the fulfillment of such a minute state- 
ment, Volney gives this testimony : 


The whole village of Tyre contains only fifty or sixty poor 
families, who live obscurely on the produce of their little ground 
and a trifling fishery. The barbarisms of the Greeks of the 
lower empire have.accomplished their predictions. Instead of 
that ancient commerce so active and extensive, Tyre, reduced 
to a miserable village, has no other trade than the exportation 
of a few sacks of corn and raw cotton; nor any merchant but 
a single Greek factor, who scarcely makes sufficient profit to 
maintain his family.— Zravels, p. 272. 


234 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


The only way by which the force of this testimony 
has been met on the part of critics has been by chal- 
lenging the date of the various prophecies. Their 
efforts however have not won the confidence of con- 
servative students, and have only revealed the futility 
of all endeavors to assign them to the post-exilian era. 
And the same may be said of the shifts resorted to for 
the purpose of evading the startling declarations re- 
garding the overthrow of Babylon, through whose 
agency these previous calamities were to be brought 
about. Read Isaiah, chap. 13, 14, and observe how 
the conqueror was ultimately to become the conquered. 
Of this vast and wonderful city it is said: 


It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from 
generation to generation. Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent 
there, neither shall the shepherds make their folds there. But 
wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall 
be full of doleful creatures ; and owls shall dwell there, and 
satyrs shall dance there, and the wild beasts of the islands shall 
cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces. 


Ah me, “how hath the golden city ceased! how her 
pomp hath been brought down to the grave!” 
_ All of these melancholy anticipations have been 
completely accomplished. In the course of time the 
power of Babylon was not only broken, but her very 
territory abandoned as a spot accursed. Even the 
wandering Arab, fearing evil spirits, will not pitch his 
tent there, and the once fertile plain of Shinar is now 
a desert strewn with ruins of Grecian and Roman 
towns. If it is likely that conditions existing in 
the day of Isaiah pointed unmistakably to such a 
catastrophe, yet it remains unexplained how he could 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 235 


have foreseen the permanence and extent of the desola- 
tions which have prevailed. Their continuance is doubt- 
less due to the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope— 
the new route to India—which diverted the world’s com- 
merce from Petra, Tyre, and Babylon, “as the ocean ships 
from Asia to California and the Pacific Railroad may yet 
turn it away from Liverpool and London.’ But by 
no kind of calculation known to us could the prophet 
have discerned such a revolutionizing discovery as this. 
When he wrote, human probabilities were against the 
perpetuity of the evils he disclosed. The exigencies 
of trade would surely rescue Babylon from its deplora- 
ble state. This was a reasonable view to take when it 
had succumbed to the invader. But this expectation 
was finally cut off when commerce itself providentially 
conspired to exclude the once prosperous territory from 
its benefits. Only inspiration can rationally account 
for this effectual confirmation of the prophetic word. 
Volney ( Ruins,’ chap. 2, p. 8), overwhelmed and 
almost terrorized by what he saw of the fate of the 
nations we have named, pathetically inquires : 


Good God! from whence proceed such melancholy revolu- 
tions? For what cause are the fortunes of these countries so 
strikingly changed? Why are so many cities destroyed? Why 
is not that ancient population reproduced and perpetuated ? 


Profitable to him, an unbeliever, were he alive to 
hear it, and profitable to all who are wavering in their 
faith, the devout reply of Stephens. He would have 
the skeptic stand on such a spot as the site of Babylon, - 
and 


1 Barnes, ‘‘ Ely Lectures,” p. 222 


236 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


There open the sacred Book, and read the words of the 
inspired penman, written when this desolate place was one of 
the greatest cities in the world. 


And he concludes with this impressive view of what 
ought to be the outcome: 


I see the scoff arrested, his cheek pale, his lip quivering, and 
his heart quaking with fear, as the ancient city cries out to him, 
in a voice loud and powerful as one risen from the dead ; though 
he would not believe Moses and the prophets, he believes the 
handwriting of God himself in the desolation and eternal ruin 
around him.—Stephens’ Incidents of Travel, Vol. II, p. 76. 


_ There are two classes of prophecies, closely allied to 
each other, in my judgment more wonderful in what 
they declare and in the manner of their fulfillment 
than any of those which have up to this point passed 
under review. I refer to those which describe the dis- 
persion and preservation of the Jews, and the character 
of the kingdom destined to supersede their lost empire. 
Over three thousand years ago Moses wrote concerning 
Israel: “The Lord shall scatter thee among all people 
from the one end of the earth even unto the other. 
. . . And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, 
neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest; ... and thou 
shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by- 
word among all the nations whither the Lord shall 
lead thee; . . . and thou shalt be only oppressed and 
spoiled evermore; and the Lord will make thy plagues 
wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great 
plagues, and of long continuance” (Deut?- 28 - scone 
pare Jer. 46; Lev. 26; Hosea 3 ; Amos 9; and Terese 
and 31). To these impressive words add the assur- 
ance : 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 23/7 


Yet for all that when they be in the land of their enemies, I 
will not cast them away neither will I abhor them, to de- 
stroy them utterly. I will make a full end to all the nations 
whither I have driven thee; but I will not make a full end of 
thee. 


To recount the history of the Jews for the last two 
thousand years would be to demonstrate that in no 
essential particular has this foreshadowing failed. 
They have been scattered, harassed, persecuted. On 
natural principles we would suppose that mingling with 
so many diverse populations, their numbers in any one 
locality being relatively few, they would by this time 
have been amalgamated with the more populous races. 
Such however is not the case. They are as distinct as 
when they came out of Egypt, or returned from Baby- 
lon. Roman, Goth, Spaniard, Italian, Englishman, all 
in turn, and Church and State separate or combined, 
have in vain exerted their cruelest ingenuity to extir- 
pate them, or blend them beyond the possibility of 
recovery with the Gentiles. Even to-day, if report is 
to be credited, a prominent Hebrew in Paris, looked 
on by some as the Messiah, is urging his co-religionists 
to marry and intermarry with the various people 
among whom their lot is cast. Such devices are no 
more likely to succeed than the old-time proscriptions. 
The Jew will remain mingling with the members of 
different communities, and yet distinctively apart ; 
increasing in friendliness and yet preserving his 
identity ; born in all lands and yet feeling a stranger in 
all; governing no nation, and yet through his wealth 
largely governing all; and will continue thus until it 
shall come to pass as it is written: 


238 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a 
king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without 
an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim ; after- 
ward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their 
God and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his 
goodness in the latter day. 


The Jews as a people are a perpetual miracle. Ac- 
cording to Luthardt, a certain prince asked his chap- 
lain to furnish him with evidence of the truth of 
Christianity, and to do so briefly, as he had no time to 
spare. The answer given was concise enough and 
conclusive enough: “ The Jews, your majesty.” 

“If the simple fact of their dispersion,” says Dr. 
Keith, “is one of the most astounding events in his- 
tory, the extent and remoteness of the countries which 
have been the scene of it are more remarkable still. 
We know how numerous their synagogues are in Chris- 
tian lands; but it may not be equally well known that 
they have their places of worship in the cities of China, 
in the heart of Africa, and even in regions more re- 
mote. Gobat, the missionary, found them in large 
numbers in Abyssinia, six hundred leagues south of 
Cairo, and their feet tread the snows of Siberia as 
well as the hot sands of the desert.” It has been said 
that the “wandering Jew” precedes the explorer. 
Professor Gaussen, of Geneva, who is our authority for 
these statements, is reported as saying, 


That when the Portuguese settled in India they found there 
three distinct classes of Jews, and when the English took pos- 
session of Aden, they found there more Jews than Gentiles. In 
Russia they number more than two million two hundred thou- 
sand. The State of Morocco contains three hundred thousand, 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 239 


that of Tunis, one hundred and fifty thousand. There are two 
hundred thousand in Yemen ; eight hundred thousand in Tur- 
key ; and they make a total population of about seven millions in 
all the world. In Sana, the capital of Arabia-Felix they have 
eighteen synagogues ; and in Brody, where Christians ten thou- 
sand strong have only three churches, the Jews have one hun- 
dred and fifty synagogues ; and New York has in it I suppose 
the largest Jewish community on earth. 


An unknown writer in a recent periodical thus com- 
ments on these wonderful facts : 


There now exists a nation on the earth which for forty cen- 
turies alone of all the peoples of the world forms one family, 
and has descended from one father—the only one which has 
kept its nationality in the midst of upheavals, of massacres, and 
of expulsions, through all ages of barbarism and civilization, 
under Nebuchadnezzar or under Alexander the Great, under 
Charlemagne and Bonaparte. Empires have passed away as a 
shadow, leaving behind them only their names ; they have per- 
ished and their places know them no more; but the Jews are 
still there, standing apart from all other races, as in the days of 
Jesus Christ, one distinct and unique family in the midst of the 
confusion of all others—rich, though a thousand times despoiled ; 
increasing in numbers and more united than ever, though scat- 
tered by a tempest of eighteen centuries to the extremities of the 
globe. 


What an extraordinary enigma then is the Jew! 
Wherever he is met, under whatever conditions, how- 
ever commonplace or mercenary he may seem, and 
however obnoxious he may be to our silly prejudices, a 
mystery envelops him, and he stands before the ages 
as God’s unimpeachable witness to the reality of the 
supernatural. Its solemn light falls upon him, and as 
we contemplate him footsore and restless, and study 
his pathetic face deeply marked by the sufferings and 


240 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


passions of twenty centuries, it is impossible not to 
believe that he has been preserved by the Almighty as 
‘an ever-living and an ever-apparent proof of the 
Divine Spirit moving in the thoughts and words of all 
the holy prophets since the world began. 

Many have been the optimistic dreams of humanity ; 
but with hardly an exception they have been grounded 
in some scheme of social re-organization, in some com- 
munistic or some socialistic science of earthly govern- 
ment. The reformers of our own times, like those of 
the past, have given more attention to the relation of 
economics to the State than to ethics. Still the idea 
largely obtains, outside of Christian teachings, that 
society needs a more equal distribution of wealth than 
of righteousness; or, to phrase the matter differently, 
that its highest interests are to be promoted rather by 
craft, policy, industrial re-arrangements and, perhaps, 
by the abrogation of private property, than by a new 
and complete sovereignty of justice and right in human 
affairs. ‘The prophets were the first to proclaim a 
truer and nobler conception to be actualized under the 
reign of the Messiah. It is well known that they 
expected the old dispensation to be superseded by the 
new; that is, by historic Christianity. There is a 
genetic relation between the two systems, and the 
prophecies uttered under the one regarding the charac- 
ter of the other indicate the working of a supernatural 
Power in them both. ' The future empire, in contradis- 
tinction to every preceding government, was to be 
essentially moral and spiritual. We read: 

I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon 
thine offspring ; and they shall spring up as among the grass, as 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 241 


willows by the water courses ; so shall they fear the name of the 
Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun: 
when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the 
Lord shall set up a standard against him. 


Referring to the origin and resources of this king- 
dom, it is written: 


Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which 
smote the image upon his feet ; not by might, nor by power, but 
by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts; my word that goeth 
forth out of my mouth shall not return unto me void, but it 
shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the 
thing whereto I sent it; out of Zion shall go forth the law and 
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 


And again: 


For Zion’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof 
go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that 
burneth ; 


and 


with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with 
equity for the meek of the earth. 


Likewise the extension of this wonderful dominion 
is described. 


Many people shall go and say, come ye, and let us go up to 
the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and 
he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; I 
will say to the north, give up; and to the south keep not back ; 
bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the 
earth ; even every one that is called by my Name; for I have 
created him for my glory, I have formed him ; yea, I have made 
Dit isae 4 5e8 OC pet 2 love 2 Or This Am OSs: Ts = O45 536: 
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Vv 


242 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


And these are but a tithe of the texts that could be 
quoted in the same direction. The conception of such 
a kingdom in the age when it was born is truly remark- 
able ; and that it should have begun to be a fact dur- 
ing the ministry of Jesus, especially as it never seems 
to have been understood or appreciated by the nation 
previous to his time, and indeed required from his lips 
an enlarged and amended reading and an organizing 
principle which he alone could impart, is even more 
extraordinary. Yet this is now a commonplace of his- 
tory. ‘The Jews metaphorically as well as literally had 
stoned the prophets. They had rejected their example 
and their thoughts together. Or if they had retained 
the latter it was only to carnalize them, and make them 
stand as promises of temporal blessings under an 
earthly monarchy that should cater to their national 
pride. Nor was it until Christ, unaided by the ruling 
ideas and hopes of his period, laid the foundations of 
his empire, and the borders of that empire began to 
extend, that men came to perceive that it was fulfilling 
and working out the fair visions of God’s ancient ser- 
vants. But now as we look back, we can hardly fail to 
see that Christianity, notwithstanding its weaknesses, 
inconsistencies, futilities, and failures, corresponds in 
every essential respect to the prophetic ideal. It 
embodies more than that, but it does embody that. 
T’o some persons it may seem that it has come short of 
what was so glowingly pictured. But they must 
remember two things: The kingdom of righteousness, 
like the king himself, was to be made perfect through 
sufferings. Job is a perpetual parable of the Church 
in the world. All the anomalies, perplexities, and 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 243 


enigmas in his life are reproduced in hers, and for the 
purpose that the outcome may be as striking and as 
glorious. This accounts for much in her career that 
at the first seems irreconcilable with her dignity and 
vocation. It is also not to be forgotten that some por- 
tions of the prophecies concerning her remain to be 
honored. She is not all that she is to be, nor has she 
done all that she is to do. What remains to be accom- 
plished we may not be able to describe confidently, as 
the facts may transcend the promise and be as unex- 
pected as have been the transformations already 
effected. This crystallization of the ideal into reality, 
and of beautiful sentiments, and of gorgeous visions 
into glorious and permanent actualities, is a slow pro- 
cess; but from the progress already made we have 
reason to believe that all of the ancient predictions 
regarding ‘the kingdom and the greatness of the king- 
dom under the whole heaven” shall be completely 
consummated in time now fast approaching. 

Another theme occupies the thought of Old Testa- 
ment writers—the Messiah—and their descriptions of 
him and allusions to him shine on the darkness of 
their times like stars from the vault of night. Israel 
has been called “the nation of hope, and its religion 
the religion of hope,’ and its hope centered in the 
coming of a God-anointed Redeemer. But as the day 
was about to dawn the sky was filled with clouds and 
mists that obscured the light. Strange misconceptions 
had arisen, and had changed the true meaning of what 
had been desired through long and weary centuries. 
Among the rabbis, the school of Hillel believed that 
Hezekiah was the Messiah; and others taught that 


244 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


there were two Messiahs—Ben Joseph the Sufferer, 
and Ben David the Victor. Philo’s Messiah seems to 
have been an abstraction; the Messiah of Josephus 
appears to have been Vespasian ; and several learned 
Hebrews were so far blinded or deluded that they even 
ascribed this title to Herod. Thus misapprehensions 
and manifold absurdities were in circulation as “the 
old order was about to give place to the new,” and 
were in some sort perpetuated after the “new” had 
been established. But no sufficient reason for their 
continuance in any form can be assigned, unless it be 
that of intolerant antipathy toward him who exposed 
their utter baselessness, and who himself claimed to be 
the One “who should come.” That Jesus maintained 
and called forth this view of himself is evident from 
his answer to Peter’s confession, from his approval of 
the people’s acclamations, from his assuming the names 
Son of God and Son of Man, special Messianic desig- 
nations, from his searching and radical reformations, 
and from his asserted authority to forgive sins. (Matt. 
1031775 Lukeli6:34;/40 5) Dan.7i2113,'143;4) obneomeleae 
20 ;- Matt.9 2\14.;) Johni4 2125) 26 -8n7"3 -sMattaeom 
63, 64.) 

In support of this claim he and his disciples fre- 
quently appeal to prophecy; and their citations from 
the old Testament are so numerous as to create the 
impression that they regarded this subject as the spe- 
cial burden of its teachings. Indeed, the quotations 
are so varied and almost numberless that their relevancy 
is not always at the first glance discernible, and they 
have given rise to questions not easily answered. 
Some of them do not appear to have been originally 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 245 


intended as predictions, and others look as though they 
were meant to apply to personages who lived prior to 
the birth of Jesus and to events very different from 
those of his life. Though these difficulties are ad- 
mittedly serious, they are not insuperable. I think we 
should be willing to concede that the men who lived 
nearest to the prophets in point of time must have 
been better qualified than ourselves to pronounce on 
the traditional import of their language. They must 
have known as we cannot what was the fairest inter- 
pretation of their words. It is exceedingly unlikely 
that they would have gone about in public applying 
passages of Scripture as they did, if the meaning put 
upon them was entirely new and unwarranted. On the 
supposition that they acted in this manner, they would 
not only have damaged their repute for honesty, but 
would have frustrated their object ; for how could they 
have proven what they desired to prove if the people 
knew that the proof they adduced was no proof at all? 
It is hardly likely that they would have acted so un- 
wisely. But, in addition, the fact ought not to be 
overlooked that many of the texts quoted from the Old 
Testament were not quoted as prophecies at all, but as 
illustrations, coincidents, or confirmations of the par- 
ticular thought or theme then being presented. The 
expression, “as it was written by the prophets,” does 
not invariably mean that the words referred to were 
necessarily prophetical; for these men uttered truths 
that were historical or devotional as well as prophetical ; 
and these were often alluded to for the purpose of 
strengthening or beautifying the argument. Thus, 
for example, when Paul says, “The foundation of God 


246 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them 
that are his,” he quotes from Numbers in connection 
with the rebellion of Korah; or when he uses the lan- 
guage, “If the dead rise not, let us eat and drink, for 
to-morrow we die” ; or again, “Neither because they 
are the seed of Abraham, are they all children, but in 
Isaac shall thy seed be called” ; he does not profess to 
be repeating predictions, but to be confirming import- 
ant doctrines by the wisdom of the fathers. Moreover, 
it is to be remembered that in the days of our Lord 
an extensive system of typology prevailed, and events 
which had occurred in the past were regarded as 
pictorial anticipations of what was to come. Strictly 
speaking they were not prophecies, and were only re- 
ferred to as vividly suggestive of men and movements 
more important than themselves. Instances of this 
principle we have when Matthew, touching on the early 
sojourn of Jesus in Egypt, quotes Hosea as saying : 
“Out of Egypt I have called my Son,” and when com- 
menting on the decree of Herod dooming the babes of 
Bethlehem to death, he cites Jeremiah describing the 
sorrow of Rachel for her children. He sees in the 
exodus of the Jews, and in the grief caused by the dis- 
persion of the ten tribes typical representations of our 
Lord's exile and of the slaughter of the innocents. It 
is incredible that either Matthew or his associates in- 
tended to be understood as literally regarding such 
texts as these as predictions. They must have known 
that such an interpretation of them would carry no 
weight to the mind of their contemporaries. They 
were not madmen to hazard the cause they had near at 
heart by so manifest a perversion. All this should be 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 247 


duly considered by those critics, who in our time 
imagine that they can impugn the reliability of the 
evangelists by accusations of inexactness. But whether 
we can satisfactorily explain the principle on which 
these controverted quotations are introduced or not, 
enough remains and of less ambiguity and uncertainty, 
to make out a clear case of undisputed prophetic testi- 
mony to the Christ. And only some of these need be 
consulted for the purpose of our argument. 

Daniel, B. c. 556, declared that the Messiah should 
appear four hundred and ninety years after the going 
forth of the decree for the restoration and rebuilding of 
Jerusalem ; Jacob, one thousand years before this had 
fixed the date in connection with the permanent decline 
of Judah’s sovereignty ; Haggai and Isaiah announced 
that it would occur before the final destruction of the 
temple; Micah designated the birthplace as Bethlehem 
Ephratah ; Malachi described the messenger who should 
precede him; and these prophets and others said that 
he should be born of a virgin; that he should enter 
Jerusalem on the foal of an ass ; that he would be wise, 
gentle, compassionate; that he would preach good tid- 
ings to the poor and cause the lame to walk, the deaf 
to hear, the blind to see, the dumb to speak, and the 
dead to live again; and that he would be rejected and 
despised, offered for sin, cruelly slain, raised from 
the dead; would triumph over his enemies, and intro- 
duce in the world a new era, an era of spiritual su- 
premacy in which would be involved the happiness of 
mankind. Particular stress is laid upon his sufferings 
and death ; on their cause, their attendant circumstances 
and their consequences. The prophets caught glimpses 


248 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


of the horrible tragedy, and it fascinates and fills them 
with awe. They behold it as though it were being en- 
acted before their eyes. Combining their various rep- 
resentations, we have the picture of One betrayed and 
sold for thirty pieces of silver, whose back was given 
to the smiter and his face to shame and spitting, 
whose hands and feet should be pierced, and whose 
body should be wounded, bruised, and scourged; who 
should be numbered with the transgressors and have 
gall and vinegar given him to drink, who should make 
his grave with the wicked and the rich in his death; 
and who should be cut off but not for himself, bearing 
our iniquity, carrying our griefs, and healing us with 
his stripes (Gen. 49: 10; Isa. 11:13 40: 3-9; 41: 
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Jer. 312363 -bHosed:3) 384) §47:Ps:22 22166" 34%srzor 
69 : 21; Dan. 9 : 23-27). 

The books on whose testimony Jesus and his apostles 
seem mostly to rely, are those usually ascribed to 
Daniel and Isaiah. The former is quoted by our Lord 
in an unmistakable way. He calls Daniel by name, 
and from his writings adopts the title: “Son of Man,” 
and his designation of the new economy as “the King- 
dom of Heaven” (Dan. 7). The former expression to 
Jewish ears meant “the Messiah’; and the temerity 
of any mere mortal assuming to be the central figure 
of such a vision as is described by the prophet when 
he writes— 

Isaw .. . and behold, one like the Son of man came with 


the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and 
they brought him near before him ; and there was given to him 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 249 


dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people, nations, 
and languages should serve him ; his dominion is an everlasting 
dominion, which shall not pass away— 


proves that he must have been conscious of the most 
exalted personal rank and power, or must have been 
endowed with the most extravagant of imaginations. 
Nevertheless, Jesus calmly and deliberately appropri- 
ates this sublime imagery to himself. In almost as 
many words, he says: “I am the Son of man as fore- 
told in Daniel’s vision, and hereafter shall be seen sit- 
ting on the right hand of God and coming in the clouds 
of heaven” (Matt. 13:41; 24: 27--30, 44; 25: 31; 
26:24). Was he then this marvelous and majestic 
being, or was he the most stupendous egoist and most 
transcendent charlatan that ever lived? If he was not 
the former, he was the latter, and if the latter, ah, 
poor world! where shalt thou look for truth? The 
critics of gospel history, anxious to avoid so extreme 
and damaging an inference,—for, as is well-known, they 
have sentimental theories of Jesus, and it would not 
suit their purpose to depreciate his morality,—have 
called in question the genuineness of the book of 
Daniel. They assume that if it existed at all, it did 
not in its present form, and that our Lord’s alleged 
quotations from it must have been insertions of a later 
period designed to prop up the dubious structure of 
Christianity. The original assault on Daniel was made 
by Porphyry in the third century. The book as we 
have it had an existence then, and his own statements, 
though wildly violent, prove that it was certainly 
acknowledged in times not remote from the apostolic 
period. Is it not probable from the source and spirit 


250 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


of the first attack, that the belief in its genuineness 
was far more wide-spread and ancient than modern 
hostile criticism seems to suspect? Hengstenberg, 
Schulze, Delitzsch, Zundel, Auberlen, Kurtz, and Keil 
have investigated this subject with a diligence and 
thoroughness that cannot be surpassed, if they can 
ever be equalled; and they have shown conclusively 
that the authorship of Daniel cannot be disproved. In 
the name of honest scholarship they proclaim that the 
work bearing his name is entitled to confidence as gen- 
uine and authentic. It is not necessary, therefore, to 
re-open or prolong the controversy. If persons are 
willfully minded to repeat stale and oft-answered objec- 
tions, we may regret it, but we cannot help it; if they 
hear not Hengstenberg and Kurtz, neither would they 
be persuaded if one arose from the dead. 

It is, however, worthy of remark in this connection, 
as being significant of the temper with which attacks 
on the Bible are made, that those portions are generally 
denounced as ungenuine or untrustworthy which have 
palpable reference to Messiah. Thus the entire book 
of Daniel, the iatter portion of Zechariah, and the clos- 
ing chapters of Isaiah, are characterized as spurious, be- 
cause they only too evidently confirm evangelical views. 
I shall not undertake to expose the unfairness of this 
method. Perhaps I ought not, as I do not claim to be 
an “expert” in higher criticism. But it is fitting that 
I should say that these very condemned sections of the 
Old Testament are those which Jesus and his apostles 
most frequently appeal to. This is especially true of 
Isaiah. John begins his ministry with a passage from 
that prophet: “I am the voice of one crying in the 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 251 


wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.” The 
parallel of Isaiah 42 : 1-3 is found in Matthew 12: 17— 
21; andthe fifty-third chapter is expressly appropriated 
by the Lord himself (Luke 22 : 37), and is subsequently 
interpreted in the same manner by Philip (Acts 8). 
There is no sufficient reason for doubting the genuine- 
ness of these passages. They have, until of late years, 
received the all but unanimous support of Jews and Chris- 
tians. Nor was it until learned professors sought to dis- 
parage the marvelous in the career of Jesus that some 
among them ventured to question the authorship of these 
texts. ' But while we may evince sincere respect for the 
attainments of these gentlemen, is not the express tes- 
timony of our Lord likewise entitled to consideration ? 
Is there not thorough-going common sense in what 
Rev. G. Ensor has written in the “Guardian” on this 
subject? He asks: 


Which must I believe—critic or Christ? Christ was a Hebrew 
scholar. As man he would have nothing to learn from any 
Hebrew chair of this or other lands. He was an Aramaic 
scholar. He lived two thousand years nearer to the prophets 
than the critics of to-day. Christ asa critic was sinless. No 
critic of this or any Christian age has had opportunity to personal 
converse with Moses. But Christ spoke to him on the Trans- 
figuration Mount. If I knew on indisputable testimony of any 
teacher who had seen and spoken with Moses, living or dead, I 
should attach enormous value to his opinion of Moses and his 
words—more, I think, than to the dictum of any Hebrew chair. 

I take it that it cannot be said of or by any critic that he him- 
self was the subject-matter of, or even referred to, by any pro- 
phetic writer. Of no living or dead critic can it be said that he 
inspired any portion of the Prophets. But this is affirmed em- 
phatically of Christ. Of no modern critic, sound or unsound, 
will it be affirmed that the Holy Spirit, the author of the Old 


252 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Testament, has descended in bodily form upon him. No critic 
has risen and come to us again to stand by the same words he 
taught respecting Holy Writ. Christ did. These considerations 
absolutely outweigh an infinite mass of hypothesis, of possibility, 
probability, plausibility, of affirmation against the truth of Holy 
Writ. I find that Christ, after his resurrection, with tenderest 
reproach reproved as fools his disciples for not believing every- 
thing that Moses had said. I find that some modern critics 
stigmatize in harshest terms the credulity of those who believe 
anything that Moses has said in disagreement to their dc/a. 
For all this I find I hold with Christ against the critic. 


So do I. Ewald, whose opinion is of the very highest 
value, insists that the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, the 
one most obnoxious to rationalism, is as old as the times 
of that prophet ; and that in it are to be found the 
belief of after-ages regarding the personal historical 
Messiah. Of course many of the modern Jews place 
a different interpretation on this Scripture. But their 
forefathers did not agree with them. Aben Ezra, in the 
twelfth century, writes: “Many have interpreted this 
chapter of Messiah because our ancients of blessed 
memory have said that Messiah was born the same day 
that the temple was destroyed, and that he is bound 
in chains.” Also the Rabbi Alsbrech, in the middle of 
the sixteenth century, declared that “the rabbis have 
with one mouth confirmed and received by tradition 
that King Messiah is here spoken of. . . He beareth 
the iniquity of the children of Israel, and behold, his 
reward is with him.” | 

But we confess that these questions which belong to 
the domain of biblical criticism cannot be thoroughly 
discussed in an argument of the kind we are framing. 
All that can be said on these vexed issues would oc- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 253 


cupy more space than the compass of this entire book 
affords. No one realizes this more completely than 
myself. Yet one thing may be done to inspire confi- 
dence in the positions taken thus far in the course of 
our argument, though difference of opinion may re- 
main on the exegesis of particular texts. It may 
be shown that men who are counted authorities in 
such fields of inquiry have given the sanction of their 
names to the general conclusions arrived at in this 
chapter on the subject of Messianic prophecies. Rev. 
E. -S. Talbot, one of the eminent authors of “Zur 
Mundi,” in the views he expresses on this theme, has 
the unqualified support of many brilliant and advanced 
students in theology : 


Unquestionably, as St. Paul himself affirms, and as the Acts 
and the early apologetic writers show us, it—the work of conver- 
sion—was done by asserting, and making good the assertion 
with careful proof and reasoning, that in the historical appear- 
ance and character of Jesus Christ, in his treatment while on 
earth, in his resurrection and heavenly exaltation, was to be 
found the true, natural, and legitimate fulfillment of that to which 
the Scriptures in various ways, direct and indirect, pointed, and 
of that which the hope of Israel, slowly fashioned by the Script- 
ures under the discipline of experience, had learned to expect: 
We may confidently assert that in the case of such passages as 
the twenty-second and one hundred and tenth Psalms, or the 
ninth and fifty-third of Isaiah, the harder task is for him who 
will deny than for him who will assert a direct correspondence 
between prediction and fulfillment. If they stood alone, gen- 
eral scientific considerations might make it necessary to under- 
take the harder task. Standing out as they do from such a 
context and background, . . . the interpretation which sees in 
them the work of a Divine providence shaping out a ‘‘sign’’ for 
the purpose which, in each Christian age, and especially in the 

WwW 


254 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


first, it has actually subserved, is the interpretation which is 
truest to all the facts. 


Nor can a more decisive, or a more glowing testimony 
be added than is found in Professor Charles A. Briggs’ 
erudite volume on “ Messianic Prophecy.” While I 
cannot agree with all that he says on this subject, and 
while I know he could not subscribe to some of our 
evangelical expositions, the following extracts are so 
confirmatory of the main point at issue that they 
may well serve as a fitting climax to this argument. 
These are his words : 


Messianic prophecy is the most important of all themes ; for 
it is the ideal of redemption given by the Creator of our race at 
the beginning of its history, and it ever abides as the goal of 
humanity until the Divine plan has’ been accomplished. . . 

Hebrew prophecy presents us a system of instruction which 
cannot be explained from the reflections of the human mind. 
It gives us a view of redemption as the final goal of the world’s 
history which is heaven-born, and not a human invention. 
Demanding the most searching criticism from the start, it has 
endured that criticism in all ages—such a criticism as no other 
prophecy has been able to endure, such as has in fact beaten 
into ruins all other prophecy. 

Hebrew prophecy vindicates its reality, its accuracy, its com- 
prehensive ideality as a conception of the Divine mind, as a 
deliverance of the Divine energy, as a system constructed by 
holy men who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. 
The Messiah of prophecy and the Messiah of history, the re- 
demption of Hebrew prediction and the redemption of Christian 
possession, are not diverse, but entirely harmonious in the 
Lamb, who was foreordained before the foundation of the world, 
but was manifest in these last times of its history, who accom- 
plished it in time and eternity. Hebrew prophecy springs from 
divinity as its source and ever-flowing inspiration, and it points 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 255 


to divinity as its fruition and complete realization. None but 
God could give such prophecy ; none but God can fulfill such 
prophecy. The ideal of prophecy and the real of history corres- 
pond in him who is above the limits of time and space and 
circumstance, who is the Creator, Ruler, and Saviour of the 
world, and who alone has the wisdom, the grace, and the power 
to conceive the idea of redemption, and then accomplish it in 
reality through the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascen- 
sion, and second advent of his only begotten and well-beloved 
Son, very God of very God, the Light and Life and Saviour of 
the world. 


Reflection will, I am sure, convince the thoughtful 
inquirer that by no known theory of chances can the 
agreements between what was to be and what came to 
pass be accounted for. Jesus, if only a creature, could 
not have planned for his own birth to have occurred at 
the time and in the circumstances related by the 
prophets ; and neither could he have provided that all 
of the events of his wonderful career should have come 
to pass so as to tally exactly with what they had written 
of the “ Desire of all nations.” Either all these things 
were accidental—which is impossible—or they were 
premeditated and carried out bya power higher than any 
mere human agency. Back of all gleams the super- 
natural; and if not that, an abyss of mystery. 

But beyond this, by what human foresight and craft 
could he have provided in his brief career for his post- 
humous influence in the world to correspond with what 
the prophets had affirmed of the Messiah’s authority and 
power over the generations of mankind? Supposing 
that everything prior to his death can be accounted for 
on the hypothesis of happy coincidences, it is too great a 
strain on credulity to suppose that what has taken place 


256 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


since is likewise only the continuation of such coinci- 
dences. The mind breaks down beneath such a mass of 
happily confirmatory fortuitous occurrences. It is evi- 
dent from the Old Testament that the Messiah’s reign 
over the nations was to be as remarkable as his suffering 
ministry ; and Jesus, in some respects, has been more 
wonderful since his departure from heaven than he was 
before. His spirit has prevailed with millions, has re- 
newed the face of society, has penetrated literature, 
and come more and more to be apprehended as the 
essence of Christianity. He has succeeded in attain- 
ing a position in the world unattained by any other 
historic character; and he has called forth avowals, 
which however explained, prove that he has more than 
realized the prophetic expectations. Some of these 
avowals we have had presented in a former chapter, 
but two or three others may here be added in sup- 
port of this astonishing exaltation. Ullman wrote 
In 1845: 


Christianity is the religion which, in the person of its founder, 
actually realizes the union of man with God which every other 
religion has striven after, but none attained; and which 
from this creative center, by doctrine and moral influence, by 
redemption and reconciliation, restores the individual and the 
human race to their true destiny, to that true communion, to 
that union with God in which all that is human is sanctified and 
glorified. 


Martensen also declares: “The nature of Christian- 
ity does not differ from that of Christ himself. The 
founder of the religion is himself the matter of the 
religion.” * If these representations are warranted, if 


1“ Dogmatics,”’ p. 17. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 257 


Jesus is the soul, substance, and significance of the 
Christian faith, a faith that commands the allegiance of 
the most cultivated intellects in the world, we have a 
phenomenon not explainable on ‘naturalistic principles ; 
but when it is considered that this phenomenon was 
portrayed hundreds of years prior to its appearance in 
history, and is associated with a life so humble and 
obscure that it could give no promise of such a consum- 
mation, there can be no retreat from the logical conclu- 
sion that it was all of God—all of him, alike in its 
inception and realization. 

Here we rest our ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY. 
But a word or two with propriety may be added. It is 
important to be realized that the varied acquisitions of 
man have not appeased his ionging. He still thirsts for 
more light. That God-given “distillery of thought,” 
the brain, is ever reaching out, reaching down, reaching 
up. It is unwilling to be cloistered and walled up in 
the enigmatical. The thousands of inquirers who 
have tried to scale the heights, sound the depths, and 
look into the interminable vista and have mournfully 
cried out “failure,” have not deterred others from en- 
gaging in the apparently hopeless task. Man has 
sought out many devices by which to conquer the in- 
scrutable: hence the hermetic philosophers, the alche- 
mists and the astrologers. Optical delusion has 
chased optical delusion, and aberration of mind has 
been heaped on aberration; but with no gain, for the 
real can never establish itself on the chimerical. The 
futility of these endeavors forces us back again to the 
sad realization that the veil which shuts out the deeper 
aspects of the spiritual and that hides the future is 


258 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


non-transparent, and cannot be penetrated by unaided 
human vision. It is impossible with all of our modern 
inventions to dissolve the opaque body that rolls before 
us ; nor have we yet discovered power by which to pass 
the line on which is written “no trespassing”’; and 
scientific certainties have as yet afforded no aid in elu- 
cidating those great mysteries which encloud the origin 
of all things and their destiny. No wonder then that 
man unaided cannot prophesy ; and no wonder either if 
he often fails to grasp the full import and meaning of 
prophecy. 

When the Son of God in sublime majesty rises be- 
fore us as he appeared among the people when on earth, 
saying, “This day is the Scripture fulfilled in your hear- 
ing,” we may gaze in blank incredulity, discerning 
not the meeting of the shadow with the substance, and 
give new reason for him to exclaim with Isaiah, “ Who 
hath believed our report?” We are told that there 
is a sunken forest of white cedar on the coast of New 
Jersey. This mine of buried timber has been worked 
for more than eighty years, and has proved to bea 
source of wealth. Over this buried forest large trees 
are growing and flourishing, and these have often to be 
hewn away to reach the more precious logs hidden 
some four to five feet beneath the surface of the soil. 
So it is with truth, and often wandering through its 
groves and glades, and gazing along its leafy avenues, we 
may overlook the fact that out of sight, embedded in 
the unseen, its more profound and glorious teachings 
lie waiting the inspiration of the Spirit to disclose 
them. Man’s persistent searching, knocking, and ask- 
ing are not to be undervalued or discouraged. Only he 


THE ARGUMENT FROM PROPHECY 259 


should be reasonable. He should recognize his limita- 
tions, and should be willing that God should teach him. 
Shut out from him—around, above, and before him—are 
secrets of the greatest moment, but which can only be 
revealed to him through an agency higher than his 
own. It is in such a spirit as this he should approach 
the study of prophecy. If he concludes in advance 
that he is of himself sufficient to draw aside the veil, 
and that no answer can come to him from the other 
side, he will never seriously ask for aid from on high, 
nor believe it possible. But if he recognizes the bounda- 
ries of his own intellectual domain, and is hospitable 
to an invasion of light, then shall he see, not only 
the mighty cedars of truth that grow around him, 
but the treasures of knowledge that have been slowly 
worked out of the mine of prophecy by God in history 
for the enlightenment of mankind and for the estab- 
lishment of the Christian religion. 


CHAPTER VII 
THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 


Vera Coleridge in “Christabel” describes the 
rupture between Roland and Sir Leoline, he 
graphically adds: 


They stood aloof, the scars remaining, 

Like cliffs which had been rent asunder ; 
A dreary sea now flows between ;— 

But neither heat, nor frost, nor thunder, 
Shall wholly do away—I ween, 

The marks of that which once hath been. 


Visitors to the cafions of Colorado, if they have ever 
taken the pains to examine, must have observed how 
true to nature this poetic conception is. They have 
seen the section of a mountain that has been cleft by 
earthquake, or some other violent cataclysm, disclosing 
the proof of its former unity in the corresponding con- 
figurations on both walls of the chasm. Were a Titan 
to come that way it seems as though he could press 
the sides together, and that the parts would meet 
and fit in and with each other so exactly that it would 
be impossible to determine precisely where the line of 
the old division should be drawn. And thus, though 
humanity stands apart from God and though a gulf of 
darkness in which sluggishly rolls the flood of sin sep- 
arates the creature from the Creator, there survive 


traits of character, sublime aspirations, and mysterious 
260 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 261 


questionings which indicate that they were once one 
and that, though rent, they are still designed for each 
Otherw ee tien actantius. 1s, to) bem credited, :the) “word 
“ Religion’ comes from ve-ligare, “to bind back,” and 
recalling Coleridge’s suggestive figure, we may repre- 
sent its function as being “to bind back” the heart 
alienated from God ; to restore the broken harmonies, 
and thus cause the cliffs, long since torn asunder to be 
forever unified. And the religion that is fitted to do 
this, that is itself so complete an equivalent in its sup- 
plies to man’s necessities that the human and divine 
meet and entwine, interlace, and are spiritually sutured 
is self-evidently from Heaven. 

An interesting story was related to me several years 
ago, which may further illustrate this thought and the 
scope of the proposed argument. Among the booty 
brought to Paris from Spain by Marshal Soult was an 
exquisite painting of the virgin and her child by Murillo ; 
but curiously enough, only the center of the picture 
appeared to be by the master, as the border was infe- 
rior in design and coloring and was not by his hand. 
Examination showed that the portrait had been cut out 
by some vandal’s knife from the original canvas, and 
had been surrounded by meretricious work. The two 
did not agree. There was manifest schism between 
the face and the tawdry frame from some vulgar brush. 
But the other portion of the story is even more singu- 
lar. Lord Overstone, the English financier, when trav- 
eling in Spain found in a curiosity shop a picture of a 
very common sort, with the exception of the border, 
which was composed of clouds and child angels, in the 
portrayal of which Murillo excelled. The practiced 


262 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


eye of the Englishman realized the value of the treas- 
ure, and purchased it tor the sake of the Murillo border. 
Subsequently in Paris he attended the sale of Marshal 
Soult’s effects, and bought the head of a Madonna. 
Judge of his surprise when on removing it to his gal- 
lery he observed some signs which indicated that he 
had in his possession the center of the beautiful border 
he had secured in Spain. Using his knife carefully, he 
replaced the head in its proper setting and demon- 
strated that the one originally belonged to the other, 
and that he was the owner of a restored work of art 
by Murillo. This rejoined picture is known now 
by the name, La Vierge Coupée. This to me is a 
parable of the adaptation of Christianity to mankind. 
If the Author of the soul supplies it with a gracious 
border, what we know of his work on the former 
will enable us to judge whether the latter is from his 
hand. They will not only exactly fit each other; but 
they will also correspond in spirit, tone, and depth, 
and when placed in true juxtaposition it will be 
apparent that they are alike his creation. Such a 
border is the Christian Faith, and it fits so perfectly 
to the soul of man and agrees so fully with its nature, 
that as the painting of the virgin bore eloquent testi- 
mony to the fact that the cherubs and clouds where- 
with it had been inclosed were from the pencil of the 
great Spanish master, the soul bears witness in a 
similar way to the divine origin of Christianity. 

Luthardt formulates this argument when he says in 
“Fundamental Truths ”’; 


Man is a question ; the word of Christ is its answer. _Man is 
an enigma, the word of Christ is its solution. . . In an algebra- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 263 


ical equation of three known quantities and one unknown, viz., 
X, the value of X being found, the correctness of the solution is 
proved by its perfect accordance with the other quantities. And 
the case here is exactly parallel. The word of Christ satisfies 
the equation of our nature ; it is the solution of the X of the un- 
known quantity within us. 


In the same direction testified Napoleon. Bertrand 
in his “‘ Memoirs,” represents the emperor as saying : 


If once the divine character of Christ is admitted, Christian 
doctrine exhibits the precision and clearness of algebra, so that 
we are struck with admiration at its scientific connection and 
unity. The nature of Christ is, I grant you, from one end to 
another a web of mysteries; but this mysteriousness does but 
correspond to the difficulties which all existence contains ; let it 
be rejected and the whole world is an enigma ; let it be accepted 
and we possess a wonderful explanation of the history of man. 


The eye is adapted to the light, needs it, is sus- 
tained by it, and when permanently excluded from it 
slowly perishes altogether, of which we have an instance 
in the sightless fish which inhabit the waters of the 
sunless Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Specimens 
from the underground river I have seen, and where the 
eye ought to have been there was apparently only the 
socket covered over with a film like a curtain drawn 
down over a window. The night had quenched the 
day and the need was for a day to expel the night. 
Probably such a day will never come to the blind fish ; 
but has it come to man? He too cries forlight. It is 
the burden of nearly all prayers, whether breathed by 
an Ajax, a Goethe, a Burns, or a Heine. But has there 
been an adequate answer from out of the eternities ? 
There has been; and it is embodied and expressed in 


264 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Christianity, whichis but the effulgence of God's glory. 
And we know that it is this, because the spiritual na- 
ture of man, indeed his entire being, expands, develops, 
prospers in its radiance. With passion and eloquence 
Vergniaud harangued his fellow-Girondists before their 
execution: “Death is but a passage to a higher 
state of being. Were it not so, man would be greater 
than God; for he would have conceived what his 
Creator could not execute. No! Vergniaud is not 
greater than God; but God is more just than Verg- 
niaud.” Can it be that man, oppressed by his own 
burdens and inspired by his own longings, invented the 
Christian religion and imposed it on himself? If so, 
then is he greater than God; for he has conceived 
what of all things was most necessary to human hap- 
piness, and what God, who ought to have provided it, 
failed to execute. No! God is more just—and more 
loving and compassionate—than man; and being all 
this, we are warranted in concluding that he has con- 
ferred the religion which is in such complete accord 
with the profoundest aspirations of man’s nature. And 
it is to this remarkable agreement that Mr. Lecky' 
attributes its earlier triumphs in the Roman Empire: 
«The chief cause of its success was the congruity of its 
teaching with the spiritual nature of mankind. It was 
because it was true to the moral sentiments of the age, 
because it represented faithfully the supreme type of 
excellence to which men were then tending; because 
it corresponded with their religious wants, aims, and 
emotions, because the whole spiritual being could ex- 
pand and expatiate under its influence, that it planted 


1 «« Kuropean Morals,” I, p. 413. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 265 


its roots so deeply in the hearts of men.” As this ex- 
plains its successful beginnings, it must surely account 
for its continuance; but what shall account for the ex- 
traordinary “congruity” short of the wisdom and 
benevolence of the Almighty? | 

Thus in various ways, in close touch however and 
sympathetic with each other, we reach the common 
conclusion that man in himself verifies the divinity of 
Christianity. This I call 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY, 


and it is my purpose in the present chapter to examine 
as far as may be necessary its validity and cogency. 
And in doing so, if my treatment may seem to deviate 
from the true logical order and method of psychology, 
it must be remembered that I desire to avoid repetition, 
and that the aim of this discussion is not a philosophy 
but a proof. 

First. Zhe testimony of man’s moral nature is en- 
titled to most serious consideration. The Scriptures at 
times are very foolishly denounced for representing sin 
as reigning unto death in the history of the race. But 
the critics rarely pause to explain how writings con- 
taining such wide-sweeping and humiliating allegations 
have been tolerated for so many centuries unless they 
are grounded in facts equally humiliating. Were we 
unstained by wrong-doing, with what just indignation 
would these foul charges be repelled. But they are 
not. With the exception of a few individuals who rise 
_and protest, all the world cries “ guilty.”” How can we 
contemplate the blaspheming Herod arrayed in silver 


splendor, or gloomy Tiberius at Capri, or Rome-destroy- 
= 


266 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


ing Nero at Puteoli, or Socrates entertaining Theodota 
and banqueting with Agathon at Athens; and how can 
we recall the tragedies of the Sicilian Vespers, the 
spoliations and massacres in Poland, the St. Bartholo- 
mew slaughters, with all the oppressions, outrages, rob- 
beries perpetrated against the weak and helpless, and 
not with shame confess the woeful wickedness of man- 
kind? The barbarities under Zingis, Timour, and 
Attila devastating entire empires from China to the 
Rhine, from the Black sea to the Loire, and from the 
Danube to the Baltic, immolating over five millions of 
human beings, are but examples on a large scale of 
the unspeakable wretchedness and the perpetual sav- 
agery constantly recurring through the centuries. 
With a cry of pain, as from a startled and wounded 
heart, Carlyle exclaims: “Cruel is the panther of the 
wood, the she-bear bereaved of her whelps; but there 
is in man a hatred crueler than that”; and he 
might have added, there are in him also lusts, appe- 
tites, and passions more ferocious, insatiable, and 
deadly than are elsewhere to be encountered in the 
animal world. How he came to so deplorable a state, 
and on what sunken reef humanity was wrecked, are 
comparatively unimportant issues. But that he is in 
this plight of unutterable evil requires no array of ex- 
ceptional instances of moral aberration; for I am 
sure, if we will follow Lowell’s example we shall reach 
the poet’s bitter conviction : 


Looking within myself, I note how thin 
A plank of station, chance, or prosperous fate, 
Doth fence me from the clutching waves of sin ; 
In my own heart, I find the worst man’s mate. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 267 


This consciousness leads to a sense of alienation 
from the Divine being against whom transgression has 
been committed, just as any offender divorces himself 
from the person offended, instead of the offended being 
primarily divorced from the offender; and then this 
enmity is imputed by the guilty to God, as though he 
were the one who indulged in hatred, and hence recon- 
ciliation is treated as illusive, or impracticable. In this 
strait man usually tries to extenuate his sin by laying 
the blame on heredity or environment, so as to satisfy 
himself that he ought to go unpunished; or he mag- 
nifies the benevolence of the Almighty, and minimizes 
the force of his righteousness, and identifies his com- 
passionate tenderness with something like indifference 
to iniquity. But these evasions of the issue have never 
been effective in satisfying any very large portion of the 
race. Individuals experiment along these lines, and 
some of them afterward lapse into infidelity or despair, 
while others seek and find the true antidote tothe soul’s 
wound—Jesus Christ. 

An English writer, in a biographical note on Brown- 
ing, informs his readers that, while the poet may not 
have been a Christian of the ultra-orthodox type, he 
was “none the less convinced that the life and death 
of Christ, as Christians apprehend them, supply some- 
thing which humanity requires.’”’ We are told why: 
«The evidence of divine power is everywhere about 
us; not so the evidence of divine love. That love 
could only reveal itself to the human heart by some 
supreme act of human tenderness and devotion... 
Christ’s cross and passion could alone supply such a 
revelation.” Mrs. Orr assures us that “the need to 


268 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


which Christ responds was more real, even for him,” 
than she knew, and she adds, “he never ceased to be- 
lieve in Christ as mystically, or by actual miracle, a 
manifestation of divine love. In his own way, there- 
fore, he was and remained a Christian.” In this man- 
ner undoubtedly humanity interprets the gift of God’s 
beloved Son. It is tantamount to a declaration of 
good-will to men, of reconciliation on the part of him 
who “might th’ advantage best have took”’; and it is 
the opening of a “door of hope” in “the valley of 
Achor.” It is just such a provision as a guilty and 
despairing race demands, as it reveals the possibility of 
forgiveness and consequently encourages every way- 
ward soul to abandon its iniquity. No impassible bar- 
rier impedes return to God and rectitude. Whatever 
may have been in the way of harmony he has himself re- 
moved, and he himself is entreating the wrong-doer to 
be reconciled to right-doing and to himself, the Right- 
Doer. 

To some minds all this seems very childish, very 
unphilosophical, and they extol a culture where all this 
is omitted as the true remedy of moral departures and 
infelicities, forgetting that this remedy proved a calam- 
itous failure in the classical era of letters in England, 
when Goldsmith charmed, Johnson instructed, Addison 
delighted, Burke startled, and Swift moved his genera- 
tion alternately to laughter and indignation, and con- 
cerning the evil conditions of which we have the fol- 
lowing reliable description from the pen of Lecky: 

The clergy were branded as the most lifeless in Europe, the 


most remiss of their labors in private, and the least severe in 
their lives. In both extremes of English society there was a 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 269 


revolt against religion and the churches. ‘‘In the higher cir- 
cles,’’ says Montesquieu, ‘‘every one laughs if one talks of 
religion.’’ Drunkenness and foul language were thought no 
discredit to Walpole. Purity and fidelity to the marriage vow 
were sneered out of fashion. At the other end of the social scale 
lay the masses of poor. They were ignorant and brutal to a 
degree which it is hard to conceive. They were left without 
moral or religious training of any sort. Hannah More wrote: 
‘We saw but one Bible in the whole parish of Cheddar, and 
that was used to prop a flower pot.’’ In the streets of London 
gin-shops invited every passer-by to get drunk for a penny and 
dead drunk for twopence. 


But what saved England from this abyss? The Wes- 
leys and Whitefields; that is, the unveiling again of 
the Christ. He had been hidden by ecclesiasticism ; 
and the interblending of religion with politics and with 
the wars of factions and of dynasties in the State had 
quite obscured his image and his grace. Christianity 
had lost its power, and culture ignominiously had 
failed as a substitute, and irretrievable demoralization 
was only averted by the potent Methodist revival. The 
Augustan Age of English literature is in evidence, that 
however for its own sake and for its advantages in many 
respects culture is to be prized, as an instrument of 
practical morality it is not adequate to the needs of a 
race that has gone astray from God and righteousness. 
Facts concern us here, not theories ; what has been and 
is, not what a few refined individuals suppose ought to 
be. And we find from the experiences of centuries 
that the preaching of Christ and him crucified, which 
at first influenced the Roman world—slowly and gradu- 
ally we admit, but truly—to forsake its most dissolute 
courses as symbolized in the unclean imagery of the 


270 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Gyneczeum, and the equally unclean practices of the 
grove of Daphne, and of the worship of Laverna and 
Cybele, has since continued to furnish the most power- 


ful incentives to purity of thought and uprightness of 
conduct : 


Talk we of morals? O thou bleeding Lamb ! 
The grand morality is love of thee. 

Supreme among these incentives unquestionably 
stands our Lord's immeasurable love, expressing itself 
in vicarious sacrifice. There is an undoubted ethical 
fascination in his person, a sweet spell charming to 
goodness in his holy precepts, but all the ages have 
confessed to a mysterious subduing force impelling 
toward righteousness in his sacred passion. The doc- 
trine of atonement has been ridiculed, caricatured, and 
the most opprobrious terms applied to it, such as “the 
butcher theory of redemption”; and a poet has gone 
so far as to write in an excess of madness: 

Upon my grave place ye no cross 
Of stone, of iron, or of wood ; 

My soul has ever loathed that tree 
Of martyrdom, of pain, and blood. 
It ever pained me that a world, 
Filled by a God with light and joy, 


Should choose, as symbol of its faith, 
The rack on which a slave must die. 


Nevertheless, the sufferings of our Saviour have 
moved more men to repentance and reformation than 
all other moral forces combined, and more than all 
others have deepened throughout the world the sense 
of the infinite preciousness of personal goodness. And 
the explanation of this power must be sought in the 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 271 


constitution of the universe and in the nature of man 
himself. AAs Horace Bushnell has masterfuliy depicted, 
the very universe itself is in vicarious sacrifice. 
Life evermore is fed by death, 
In earth and sea and sky ; 


And that a rose may breathe its breath 
Something must die. 


I cull the following anecdote from “Christian 
Thought ”’: 

A person writes from Constantinople that one of a flock of 
sea-gulls that were on shore was wounded. The next day the 
flock started over the Sea of Marmora, leaving behind their 
wounded companion and two to minister to his wants. These 
brought him food and nursed him. In a few days the three 
rose from the ground and started in their flight. Soon the wings 
of the wounded bird failed. Then his companions went under 
him and carried him until he was rested. They substituted 
their pinions for his poor and feeble wings. 

We are strangely moved by this and similar in- 
stances in the kingdom of birds and animals of vicari- 
ous service. And when in a higher realm, Codrus of 
Athens rushes into the fury of the battle that the gods 
may be propitiated by his death; and when Curtius of 
Rome to rescue his beloved city, leaps full-armed into 
the yawning gulf; and when Iphigenia is willing to 
surrender up her life on the altar that the wind-bound 
fleet may be released from Aulis, however we may 
doubt the stories and deplore the superstition, we are 
so far from being offended that we feel that we too 
could also suffer, and in some circumstances ought to 
immolate ourselves for the safety and happiness of 
others. When Winkelried gathers the Austrian spears 
in his arms which pierce his side that a path may be 


272 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


cleared for liberty; when the soldier covers the body 
of his commander with his own and falls beneath the 
stroke designed for his chief ; when a Livingston goes 
down into Africa and takes on himself all the evils of 
malaria, of exposure and solitude that light may come 
to the Dark Continent; and when Damien, the leper- 
priest, forsakes the delights of civilization and denies 
himself the pleasures and profits of refined society that 
in sharing the woes of the afflicted the repulsive loath- 
someness of disease may be mitigated by kindness, we 
cannot but praise such heroes of humanity and possibly 
deplore our inability to rise to such sublime heights of 
self-sacrifice. 

- Stanley, in one of his books, relates the falling away 
of Uledi, cockswain of the Lady Alice, from his integ- 
rity and what came of it. The man was much admired 
for his devotion and intelligent bravery. But having 
robbed his master, a jury of his native pagans con- 
demned him to endure “a terrible flogging.’”” Where- 
upon, his brother, Shumari, arose and said: “ Uledi 
has done very wrong; but no one can accuse me of 
wrong-doing. Now, mates, let me take half the whip- 
ping. I will cheerfully endure it for the sake of my 
brother.” But scarcely had he finished when another 
came forward and spoke as follows: ‘ Uledi has been 
the father of the boat boys. He has many times risked 
his life to save others; and he is my cousin; and yet 
he ought to be punished. Shumari says he will take 
half the punishment; and now let me take the other 
half, and let Uledi go free.’”’ We are not shocked at 
these proposals. Rather we admire the spirit of the 
men; and wecan hardly fail to feel that their voluntary 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 273 


assumption of chastisement due to another, and 
which they acknowledge to be due, must powerfully 
have affected the camp for good, must have touched 
the heart of the guilty man, and must have restrained 
wrong-doers as the strict infliction of the original 
penalty never could. The Rev. J. K. Dixon related to 
me an incident of a kindred character bearing on this 
subject. He. said that a teacher had in his class a 
refractory boy who appeared insensible alike to threats 
and promises. At last, believing that nothing was left 
for him to do but to inflict condign punishment, he or- 
dered the stubborn pupil to take off his coat. The lad 
sullenly refused to comply, and being persistent in his 
disobedience, the master roughly tore off the garment, 
when he and the entire school were surprised to find 
that the little fellow had on no shirt, and that his body 
gave evidence of insufficient nourishment. Down 
came the whip however just the same, only it fell not 
on the poor famished shoulders, but on a scholar who 
had pushed the real offender aside and was submitting 
to punishment undeserved by himself. The teacher 
continued the beating; but the victim in hts clutch was 
none other than his own son. When we think of this 
brave, compassionate sufferer we do not for a moment 
suppose that he, in any reasonable sense, became guilty 
when he took the place of the culprit. He was not in 
fact paying a penalty, he was in his simple way offer- 
ing a sacrifice. Our natures do not revolt from the 
transaction, as we would if the teacher had compelled 
one boy to endure the chastisement due another. We 
behold in this act of devotion an illustration of the 
vicarious principle that enters so largely into life, and 


274 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


which in the mother, the father, the patriot, the philan- 
thropist goes very far toward lightening its burdens 
and overcoming its evils, and without which society 
and the famiiy would be rendered impossible. 

Jesus our Lord likewise, and pre-eminently in his 
ministry and in his death, was in vicarious sacrifice. 
He bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, “and he was 
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our 
iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon 
him, and with his stripes we are healed.” “The Lord 
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Unless will- 
fully perverted, these texts have only one conceivable 
reading and that goes straight to the heart. They 
teach that Christ has entered our evil plight, has taken 
on himself the load of affliction that presses us sore, 
has voluntarily placed himself within the operation of 
the retributive consequences following transgression, 
and has in sublimest love freely given his life to effect 
our redemption from the curse. It is not necessary 
that I define with anything like exactness what is com- 
prehended in an atonement; but it must be evident that 
such an offering as this must profoundly affect the moral 
nature of God even as it touches, moves, and trans- 
forms the moral nature of man. We are drawn to it; 
and we are only repelled by the caricatures given: of it 
by those skeptical teachers and downright infidels who 
stop short at no extreme of profane ridicule. When 
the broken heart of a mother becomes a suitable theme 
for ribald jest, or the painful endeavors of a father for 
the reclamation of a son are considered a fitting subject 
for buffoonery, then may the theologian pause to frame 
an adequate reply to uncandid and irreverent character- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 275 


izations of the atonement. In the meanwhile, in the 
face of silly mockings, the sufferings of Christ have 
been transmuted into triumphs and the wreath of shame 
into a crown of honor; and the cross has come to mean 
the defeat of sin, the defiance of pain, the death of 
death, the dispensation of love, and the moral grandeur 
of self-sacrifice. . Humanity testifies to the right and 
fitness of his stupendous passion to govern in conscience 
and in conduct. It speaks out of its own essential na- 
ture, and from the common interpretation of the laws 
sovereign in its own constitution and in that of the uni- 
verse, and declares that when the Almighty articulates 
his thought of grace in the anguish of Gethsemane and 
Calvary he employs the language of all worlds, a tongue 
the humblest and most ignorant mortal can understand, 
and without which all other speech would have sounded 
as a mongrel fafozs unworthy the lips of heaven’s 
King. 

Moreover, it is to be taken into account also that 
man’s ethical being approves, with hardly a demurrer, 
the moral precepts of Christ, to the enthronement of 
which in heart and life his vicarious sacrifice is conse- 
crated. This is so generally admitted, even by unbeliev- 
ers, as hardly to call for any remark or comment. 
Conscience extols the Sermon on the Mount, though 
conduct usually deals with it somewhat unceremoni- 
ously androughly. The poet Ovid confessed to what we 
know is true of multitudes: “I see and approve the 
better things, while I follow those which are worse.” 
Explain it as we may, while men yield to passion and 
impulse, there is a witness within that gives the force 
of its authority to the excellency and reasonableness of 


276 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


our Lord’s commandments. ‘Men approve the right 
and yet the wrong pursue.’”’ Schopenhauer admits that 
the purely ethical portion of Christianity is unassailable. 
And Kant writes in his “ Letters to Montaigne”: “I 
do not know why men will insist on ascribing the ex- 
cellent morality of our books to the progress of philos- 
ophy. This morality, which is derived from the gospel, 
was Christian before it was philosophical.” And it 
remains in every essential respect what it was at the 
beginning. Men have invented many things since 
Jesus taught and suffered, but they have added no new 
principle of human conduct to those laid down by the 
Nazarene. They have adopted his sentiments and 
have embodied them in poems, they have incorporated 
them into lectures and addresses, and they have at 
times given them fresh force by the novelty of their 
application to passing movements, and the world has mo- 
mentarily been bewildered by the supposed originality of 
their utterance. But when these brilliant productions 
have been sifted, it has been proven that the gentle hu- 
manness of Emerson, the reverberant righteousness of 
Carlyle, the sustained ethical elevation of Tennyson and 
Browning, and the magnanimity, self-forgetfulness, and 
devotion to duty characteristic of many other writers, 
are only variations of that grand moral anthem whose 
inspiring strains first filled the vales and lowly places of 
old Palestine, and since have echoed in colleges and 
churches, in councils and congresses, in fraternities and 
families, in pulpits and parliaments, sanctioned with 
equal conviction by an Abelard or Renan, by a Luther 
or Spinoza, by a Calvin or Pascal, by a Fénélon or 
Rousseau, by a Spurgeon or Victor Hugo: that is, by 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY jr], 


the voice of humanity. Strange is it that this Peasant 
Preacher of Galilee has never been surpassed by any 
of the world’s subsequent teachers of eminence. 
Quite marvelous this in its way and evidence, as we 
have already pointed out, of a dignity and rank in the 
universe impossible to measure by earthly standards. 
However men may cavil, and however gifted souls, like 
Comte, may attempt to substitute a new system that 
shall be both decalogue and altar, Jesus Christ stands 
supreme in morals, from whose divine philosophy of life 
nothing can be subtracted without injury and to which 
nothing can be added with advantage ; and in which all 
revisions, such for instance as is suggested by Comte’s 
“Vivre pour autrere,” for “ Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself,” sound trivial and almost puerile. Herbert 
Spencer’ even regards the ethical principles of our 
Lord as destined to be the crowning glory of humanity 
in the future, evolution itself being unable to conceive 
of anything nobler or truer than the laws of conduct 
he divulged and the precepts he enjoined. The judg- 
ment of the race, therefore, the convictions of “all 
classes and conditions of men,” approve intensely, as 
indispensable to the real well-being of individuals and 
communities, these sacred injunctions. These need no 
outside proof to substantiate them. They are self- 
proved, self-proved by their vital relation to right motive 
and right action, and if they had no other foundation 
to rest on, they would still command our homage, sus- 
tained as they are by the authority of conscience. 
SECONDLY. The testimony of man’s spiritual nature 
we now proceed to introduce into court. In weighing 


1 ** Data of Ethics,” 
Y 


278 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


it we should realize that religion is a capacity before it 
is an activity. It is first a potentiality and then an 
actuality. Nor could it exist outwardly as a system if 
it did not previously exist inwardly as a possibility. 
The earth has a capacity for trees, or there would be 
no trees so long as the world stands; and the atmos- 
phere must be constituted to receive and transmit light 
or the globe would continue a dayless orb to the end of 
time. All imaginable revelations from the eternities 
would be utterly vain were there only material beings 
without intelligence, and all commands to worship 
would be absolutely pointless were there not already an 
altar in the soul. Religious graces, like trees and 
flowers, are impossibilities unless there is kindred soil 
wherein they may find rootage. Hence it is that man 
has been described as a religious animal, as everywhere 
he discloses affinities for commerce with invisible 
powers, and nearly everywhere has tried to give ade- 
quate objective form to his aspirations in fetich, idol, 
sacrifice, temple, and sacred priesthood. 

What is intended, however, by this definition—“ re- 
ligious animal’—can, in my opinion, be better ex- 
pressed by the term “ spiritualness,’ meaning thereby, 
not merely a mood or state of the soul, but its actual 
essence and fundamental character. God is a spirit ; 
man is a spirit; and being alike in nature they can 
commune with each other, and can enter into and dwell 
in each other. Unless this correspondence is real, every 
alleged supernatural faith proclaimed in the earth is an 
illusion and sham. What we claim is that the ultimate 
reality, that which is back of all things, that interro- 
gates all things, that explains all things and imparts its 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 279 


glory to all things, is spirit. Human nature pro- 
tests, and protests in the speech of science as well 
as in that of piety, against the assumption of a few 
erratic theorists that there is nothing great in the uni- 
verse but man, and nothing great in man but matter. 

Yes; back of physical creation, God; back of the 
physical body, spirit ; and out of the union of the two 
grows the phenomenon we call religion, with its sacred 
persons, places, and times. Interesting forever the 
question propounded by M. de Chateaubriand and the 
eloquent answer he himself supplies : 


Why does not the ox as I do? It can lie down upon the 
grass, raise its head toward heaven, and in its lowing call upon 
that Unknown Being who fills the immensity of space. But, no; 
content with the turf on which it tramples, it interrogates not 
those suns in the firmanent above, which are the grand evi- 
dences of God. Animals are not troubled with those hopes 
which fill the heart of man; the spot on which they tread 
yields them all the happiness of which they are susceptible; a 
little grass satisfies the sheep, a little blood gluts the tiger. The 
only creature that looks beyond himself, and is not all in all to 
himself, is man. 


There is consequently in him something different, 
something higher than can be found throughout the 
entire domain of the mere animal kingdom. What? A 
spiritual nature, a nature that cannot be satisfied apart 
from God, and that has been endlessly projecting itself 
into cults, ceremonies, temples, and theologies. It has 
asserted itself in cosmogonic dreams, creating countless 
worlds by thought, and in tranquil intoxication has 
anticipated the losing of self in the unimagined joys 
and blessedness of the unseen universe. With the 


280 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Chaldeans it appeared and offered sacrifice at the shrine 
of Belus; with the Sabians and Assyrians it adored 
the host of heaven ; with the Egyptians it served in the 
temples of Osiris and Isis, and with the Greeks in the 
entheastic mysteries of Bacchus. In the ancient times 
it demanded the consultation of omens before the open- 
ing of senates, before the march of armies to the fron- 
tier, or the departure of fleets to contest the dominion 
of the seas. It taught the soldier to invoke the favor 
of Mars when he buckled on his sword; the sailor to 
seek the blessing of Neptune; the agriculturist to 
invite the smiles of Ceres to prosper vineyards and 
fields; the artist and poet to wreathe a chaplet for the 
altar of Apollo; and ardent lovers to breathe their 
vows at the feet of Venus. In the far East it clothed 
itself in mysticism, celebrated its God in gigantic tem- 
ples, and articulated its awful creed in the monstrosities 
of the Ganges and of Juggernath. But these expres- 
sions, rites, and observances, and others we shall study 
in a subsequent portion of this volume, have never 
been able to meet the sublime aspirations of the soul, or 
to develop and enlarge its capacity, and neither have they 
succeeded in purifying its ideals, in exalting its aims, in 
purging its motives, and in transforming its worship. 
This was reserved to the potent grace of Christianity. 
Christianity glorifies the spiritual, satisfies it, honors 
it, unfolds it, and enables it to fulfill itself in many 
ways. And in doing this, man’s nature bears testimony to 
the divine origin of Christianity— for that which provides 
for his deepest needs and directs his highest functions 
to their true end, and that makes real and precious 
the entire spiritual realm must be of God. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 281 


1. Christianity renews and elevates man’s spiritual 
nature. The Holy Ghost abides in the church, and in 
connection with her sacred offices carries forward this 
work. “Ye must be born again,” is the imperative 
prerequisite of admission to the kingdom on earth or in 
heaven. Christ himself revealed this requirement ; and 
the Comforter enters human hearts that it may, through 
the experience of his operations, be complied with. No 
better word can be given to this change than that by 
which it is called—*“ regeneration ”’ ; for it is in reality a 
reproducing or making over of the soul. As the soil may 
be re-fertilized by proper chemicals so that it will bear 
a fairer quality of plants, and as the body may be re- 
juvenated by wise remedies, so even in a more radical 
sense, the seat of all religious thought, emotion, and 
volition is renovated and quickened. In this new con- 
dition love of a loving God becomes the ruling passion, 
and next to it love of an unloving and unlovely hu- 
manity. It brings with it a consciousness of holy de- 
sires, of divine grace and of Christ’s saving power, and of 
immortality ; or in other words, a consciousness that is 
to him who feels it the highest kind of proof that 
Christianity is an eternal verity and no lie. How this 
transformation opens the eyes, refines the taste, and 
leads to acts of worship that are instinct with devout- 
ness and blessed fellowship I need not undertake to 
describe. These are the sublime commonplaces of 
faith. But there are other and perhaps more excep- 
tional experiences which may not be passed unnoticed ; 
for they add to the richness and variety of the Chris- 
tian’s inner life, and in some degree explain the charm 
and fascination of the religion he professes. 


282 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


As Paul the apostle says, “I now come to visions ” ; 
and yet by the term I do not mean exactly what he 
meant when he describes his own translation to the 
third heaven, whether in the body or out of it he could 
not tell ; but rather such disclosures of the grandeur and 
bewildering magnitude of the verities he believed as 
tend to thrill with delight while they moderate and sub- 
due our intellectual pride. There are moments when 
the child of God seems to be with his Master on the 
Mount of Transfiguration and to have escaped from the 
well-worn ruts and beaten highways of ordinary and 
trivial thoughts and actions. From that height he looks 
into the abyss of his own soul, and draws back alarmed 
and yet exultant. The depth of mystery in himself is 
terrible ; the shadows of love and pity are impenetrable ; 
and the cleft that divides his being into a ravine whére 
good and evil confront each other and through which 
flow the gentle sounds of prayer, praise, and of immor- 
tal aspiration, amazes and affrights. Never until he is 
in Christ by faith does man begin to take the true 
measure of his own significance. He then finds him- 
self as wonderful as day and night, as enigmatical as 
music and poetry, and as resourceful in high thought, 
glorious fancy, and persistent energy as is the uni- 
verse in gold, silver, grasses and flowers, in precious 
stones and subtle forces. He then realizes that “time 
and eternity meet in him, like tides that embrace each 
other having swept the circumference of the globe” ; 
and that he is the “ product of predestination and lib- 
erty,” and is still “becoming what he is and is only 
what he has become.” If he looks downward in that 
marvel called “self,” he sees the earth ; if upward, the 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY Pheye. 


heavens ; if around him, the power of great and all-com- 
pelling potencies ; and if he searches within, he beholds 
in the inner sanctuary freedom, freedom apparently 
strong enough to conquer destiny, and yet, alas, at 
times weak enough to succumb to the enticing smiles 
dancing in a mocking wanton’s eyes. Then there is 
the ocean of Divinity, fathomless, shoreless—at one 
moment stretching out before us calm, serene, irrides- 
cent with love, and then stormful, tumultuous, sweep- 
ing on in all the might of indignant justice as though to 
swallow up the guilty earth. Before the Infinite and Uni- 
versal, what are we ? What can we say to this labyrinth 
of mysteries, called God? How find our way through 
the mazes of the absolute and the relative, the personal 
and impersonal, the unity and the trinity, the unchange- 
ably just and unalterably merciful? There is no outlet 
from these deep defiles. To modify the figure, these 
stupendous conceptions stand apart as mountain peaks, 
which cannot be joined together, but which are bathed 
in a celestial light. From the one all the others can 
be seen, and the entire range is so transcendently glori- 
ous, so radiant with assurances of divine compassion 
and grace, and so luminous with visions of what shall 
be in the world eternal, that he who gazes long is 
thrilled with holy gratitude, that he, like Kepler, can 
“think the thoughts of God,’ while over him comes 
the insufferable splendor of an ecstacy comparable only 
to the brightness on the face of Moses when he de- 
scended from the sacred mount. 

Out of these contemplations and precious reveries, 
these uplifting feelings and transports, have proceeded 
much that has been beautiful in the lives of many saints. 


284 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Recalling what they have been in their day, we cannot 
but regard spiritual raptures as evidence conclusive 
that the religion through which they come is congru- 
ous with the spiritual nature of man. Thus are we 
impressed by the teachers and leaders of the church, who 
are usually styled mystics, but wno only pretended to a 
clearer insight into the deep and dark things of faith 
than was sought or considered possible by many in their 
generation. From an army of such saints I need only 
select Origen, Augustine, Nicholas of Basle, Tauler, 
Ekart, Francis of Assisi, Thomas 4 Kempis, Behman, 
Bernard of Clairvaux, Madam Guyon, Zinzendorf, Fox, 
Heber, and Frederick Denison Maurice. The influence 
of these personages and of their class has tended con- 
tinually in the direction of closer and more abiding 
intercourse with the Supreme Being, and of freedom 
from the things of time and sense. Olympiodorus, 
commenting on the “Gorgias” of Plato explains in 
this manner the fable of “The Fortunate Islands,” cele- 
brated in antiquity: “They are said to be raised above 
the sea, and hence they represent a condition of being 
which transcends this corporeal life and they are the 
same as the Elysian fields. He who in the present state 
vanquishes the dark and earthly life through the prac- 
tice of the purifying virtues, passes in reality into the 
Fortunate Islands of the soul, and lives surrounded 
with the bright splendor of truth and wisdom proceed- 
ing from good.”* A dream this of the pagan Greeks ; 
a blessed possibility now and for twenty centuries gone 
to all men through Christianity. They who in obedi- 
ence to their Lord shall deny themselves, shall mortify 


1 Taylor, ‘“‘ Eleusinian Mysteries,”’ p. 53. 


ik 
THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 285 


the flesh, and shall lead that self-crucifying career of 
patience, gentleness, renunciation, and love, shall attain 
also to the higher moods and beatifying visions of the 
life in God; and the conditions of this blessedness, as 
well as the blessedness itself, goes to prove that as in 
the religion of Jesus there has been found a portion 
satisfying to the divinest thing in humanity, it must be 
the special gift of him who cannot be indifferent to the 
well-being of the creatures he has made. 

( 2. Christianity intensifies and inspires man's spiritual 
nature. That there began with the ministry of Jesus 
Christ an unparalleled quickening of the religious con- 
sciousness cannot seriously be disputed. Not only is 
this proven by various scenes given in the Acés, wherein 
is shown how suddenly responsive men had become 
to the claims of God, but also by the increase of 
Stoicism among certain classes of pagans to which, in 
very large degree, Lecky attributes the ultimate 
triumph of Christianity throughout the empire. While 
there is no good reason for supposing that sentiments 
as mild and as coldly beautiful as those contained in 
the “Enchiridion” of Epictetus and the “J/edztations”’ of 
Aurelius wrought the wonderful change that came 
over the ancient world, they are at least in evidence 
that a new and potent spirit had taken possession of 
mankind. Certainly there was little, if anything, in 
common between the profound realization of eternal 
verities, the moral enthusiasm of the primitive church, 
and the simple worship of her exalted Redeemer, and 
the sensuous joys of Olympian Festivals, the painful 
rites and mocking splendors of Mithrian ceremonies, 
the infamies and deliriums of Cybele’s service, and 


286 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the dissolute and seductive charms of Bacchic orgies. 
They were radically different. The religion of beautt- 
ful mythologies, of youthful Dionysus, 
As he burst upon the East 

A jocund and a welcome conqueror, 

And Aphrodite, sweet as from the sea 

She rose, and floated in her pearly shell 

A laughing girl— 
touched the zsthetic nature and thrilled with pleasure, 
but they left unmoved the nobler part of man. It is 
not to: be denied that some of the old rites of paganism 
were appropriated, with modifications, by Christianity, 
and that some of its corruptions have been perpetuated 
under the new economy ; but the basis in consciousness 
on which rests belief in unseen realities underwent a 
change. Henceforth the spiritual reigns supreme. It 
reveals itself even in the rivalries of theologians, the 
ambitions of ecclesiastics, and the fanaticisms of turbu- 
lent laities. Back of all the struggles, contentions,— 
outrages that disgraced the Christians of the first four 
centuries,—cannot but be seen ideals, thoughts, precepts 
inculcated by our Lord striving to be understood, rec- 
ognized, and formulated ; and back even of these there 
is disclosed an aroused and excited feeling, strange to 
that age of the world, that impels the leading minds of 
the times to consider as never before questions con- 
cerning the nature of God and the condition, duty, sal- 
vation, and destiny of man. We may blame bishops 
and presbyters for their acrimony and bitterness and 
for many mistakes into which they fell; but we cannot 
deny the intense religiousness that impelled and sus- 
tained them. This is apparent at every stage of the 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 287 


formative period of Christianity ; and it has descended, 
with an occasional decline and returning revivication, 
through all the centuries to the present hour. It gave 
rise at the beginning to a new style of literature, to 
epistles, addresses, homilies, apologies; that is, to 
religious literature, which continues still with unabated 
prolificness to be produced and with unabated power to 
fascinate the thought. But this quickened conscious- 
ness gave rise also to a new type of activity, a type 
that distinguishes modern from ancient times, and 
which is in itself as brilliant and as wonderful as any 
poem or any theology penned by genius under the 
influence of strong emotion. 

The inspiration of thought has occupied so large a 
place in the discussions of all times that sufficient at- 
tention has not been given to the inspiration of deeds. 
Yet we cannot surely doubt but that God is as much 
in the latter as in the former. Is the doing of good of 
less importance than the defining of good? Or shall 
we conclude that the translation of gospels into actions 
has as much claim on divine assistance as their trans- 
lation into speech? Whatever others may believe, I 
am persuaded that he who moved on holy men of old 
to speak, has likewise moved on holy men to do, and is 
still moving. While the inspiration that led formerly 
to special revelations seems to be suspended, and ap- 
parently has been since the completion of the Apoc- 
alypse, the inspiration that impels to moral heroism, a 
heroism that embodies the very essence of all that our 
Saviour taught and endured, has never ceased from the 
first hour when it dazzled with its grandeur the eyes of 
a self-seeking and selfish world. Previous to its 


288 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


achievements in the person of a Paul or of a Telem- 
achus, there were notable instances of devotion to 
the gods or to the State; for men have always been 
capable of some measure of self-immolation. But 
antiquity knew no enthusiasm for humanity. It knew 
how to die for a country in the wild delirium of 
patriotism, or how even to suffer in the phrensy of 
superstition, “ while all the world wondered,” for the 
honor of an altar; but it never grasped the dignity of 
man as man or thrilled with a love that counted it an 
honor to lie down and die for the security and happi- 
ness of a suffering fellow-being. ‘ 

Such a scene as Victor Hugo describes in the closing 
part of “Ninety-Three,”’ the ante-Christian ages could not 
have understood. The spirit it reveals would have 
transcended their comprehension, and they would have 
regarded its hero as a lunatic. And yet the case im- 
agined by the great novelist is not exceptional, it is 
only illustrative of the quickening which has come 
to man through Jesus Christ; and indeed as the 
chief actor in it can hardly be regarded as a Chris- 
tian at all, goes to show that it has proven itself 
sufficiently powerful to move ungodly men to most 
godlike acts of devotion. All this will perhaps be 
more fully appreciated if I try to reproduce in con- 
densed form, though as far as possible in the graphic 
phraseology of the writer, the dramatic scene to which 
I have referred. 

Victor Hugo represents the Marquis de Lantenac, 
an old royalist rebel, as having escaped from the feudal 
stronghold of La Tourgue. This man surrounded, 
doomed, outlawed, bound in on every side by iron and 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 289 


fire, had escaped. He had reached the forest ; that is, 
safety, and in the shadow of night he would disappear 
in its depths. But he was arrested in his flight by a 
cry. Victor Hugo tells us that the cry of indescribable 
agony is only given to mothers, When a woman utters 
it one seems to hear the yell of a she-wolf. The cry 
of this woman was a howl. Homer says: Hecuba 
howled. Lantenac heard. He looked and saw appall- 
ing agony in the face of an unknown villager. What had 
turned this poor, vulgar, unreasoning creature into one 
of the Eumenides? She had suddenly reached the 
epic grandeur of despair by seeing her three little 
children in the burning tower, She was no longer a 
simple mother. Maternity’s voice cried out in hers, 
and in sobs rather than in words she ejaculated: «O, 
my God, my children! Those are my children burning 
up! Help, help! are they all deaf that nobody comes ? 
Horror, horror!” Voluntarily, spontaneously, by his 
own free act, Lantenac, left the forest, shadow, secur- 
ity, liberty, to return to that terrible peril—the guillo- 
tine. He plunged into the conflagration, with the risk 
of being engulfed therein. He brought the children 
safely down the ladder, which while it proved a means 
of escape to others, was to be perdition to himself. 
This noble, this: prince, this old man, free and trium- 
phant, had risked all, compromised all, had lost all, to 
save the lives of three babes whose preservation was 
of no particular interest to him or to the cause that lay 
so near to his heart. He had had choice between his 
own life and that of others; and in this superb option 
he had chosen death. Here was the fanatic of royalty 


and feudalism, the slaughterer of prisoners and women, 
Z 


290 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the man of blood—transfigured into a hero. Warring 
against the people, he had betrayed his own life to save 
the offspring of the poorest of the people. Were these 
children his own? No. Of his family? No. Of his 
rank? No. They were three little beggar babes, 
ragged, unknown, foundlings. What then was the 
force that moved him? It was innocence rising above 
the enormous legion of crime, and conquering. It was 
innocence asserting its right to the homage of strength, 
its right to the protection of all beings in whom once 
it dwelt. 

But how came men to recognize the sovereignty of 
its claims? Jesus Christ explains all. He said, with 
indescribable tenderness and pathos, “Suffer little 
children to come unto me,” and “except ye become 
as little children” there can be no true greatness ; and 
from that momeft innocence became a sacred thing—a 
thing to be honored and died for. All men ave been 
innocent, hence there is something sacred in all men ; 
and as Jesus took their nature, he has himself sanctified 
it, and so there has come to be the thought that hu- 
manity as a whole should be succored and should be 
rescued from every loss even at the cost of life itself. 
As we would respectfully uncover were we in a ruined 
church or cathedral and tread reverently the broken 
pavements long since forsaken by worshipers, so even 
humanity, now marred by sin, and the altar of innocence 
broken down, commands the tribute of our veneration 
and our tears. The thought of what has been, and 
indeed of what may be and ought to be, inspired by 
the example of our Lord, has led thousands of heroic 
souls to plunge into flood and flame, into contagious 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 2Q0r 


disease, into poisonous miasmatic regions, and into the 
vortex of fiery battle that the imperilled and perishing 
might be saved. And this great tenderness, this abne- 
gation so majestic, this self-renunciation so complete, 
this sympathy so august can only have proceeded from 
him, who “when there was no eye to pity and no arm 
to save, laid help on One who is mighty to save,” and 
from whose heart of love proceeded the gift of his Son 
to be for all a ransom and a sacrifice: and the religion 
disclosing this and inspiring to such sublime devotion 
has manifestly in it the water-mark of heaven. 
THIRDLY. The testimony of man’s intellectual nature 
remains to be examined. “Reason,” writes Bishop 
Butler, “is a verifying faculty.”’ Certainly, even if this 
statement of the case is a trifle too absolute, reason 
has tests of its own which in their way are quite 
infallible. While religion is largely an affair of the 
emotions, it is so intimately related to mind that it 
must in some good degree satisfy the latter if it is to 
influence the former. These two are like husband and 
wife ; no longer twain but one. They are like the two 
poles in electric science, mutually dependent; or they 
are like the alternations of light and darkness, divisions 
and portions of one day. Religious feeling separated 
from intelligent conviction, and not governed by it, 
resembles an unchanneled river which is unnavigable 
and disastrous in its freedom, and is only another 
name for fanaticism and delirium, while conviction 
which fails to enlist the feelings may be compared to 
the bed of a river through whose banks no waters flow, 
and is synonymous with dry speculations and sterile 
formulas. The first recalls a country traveled without 


292 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


guide, chart, or food; the second, a map of the same 
country which is never used as the journey is never 
undertaken. 

(a.) Thought demands that its laws shall be honored. 
Christianity more than respects the demand. Presi- 
dent Porter maintains that the principle of design 1s 
necessarily postulated in all of our interpretations 


of nature. “That the universe must have had a 
beginning,” Principal Dawson declares, “no one 
needs to be told.” “As the power and skill of a 


workman are seen in his works, so the works of God 
express the wisdom and omnipotence of the Crea- 
tor,’ writes Lord Bacon. Some persons pretend that 
there is no foundation for what is called the “argument 
from design,” and that evolution has quite done away 
with theological speculations. This however is merely 
a gratuitous conjecture. I cannot understand why design 
should be questioned in the arrangement by which the fly 
is entrapped by the orchid “ coryanthes” and deluged in 
the reservoir of its gigantic flowers; or why it cannot 
be seen in the light carried by the glow-worm ; or in 
the galvanic battery carried by the torpedo; or even in 
the flaunting and gorgeous fan borne by the peacock, 
simply because these results may not have been attained 
immediately by creative fiat, but through a long process 
of modifications and variations. The human mind re- 
volts from the assumption that chance, accident, and 
happy coincident are the supreme trinity that rules 
the universe and accounts, without accounting, for all 
things. 

Whether ages were required for the final painting 
of a butterfly’s wing, or for the delicate fashioning of a 


THE ARGUMENT HROM HUMANITY 293 


rose, or for the ultimate distillation of a perfume, devo- 
tion cares not to discuss ; but that they proceeded from 
no intelligence at all, and have fallen out, or rather 
fallen into their present form and functions fortuitously 
and without thoughtful design, reason at once and 
decisively rejects as inconceivable and as contrary to 
common sense, The construction of a mouse trap, 
the molding of an image in clay, the painting of a trans- 
figuration, or the building of a St. Peter’s, may be ac- 
complished in a year or require half a century—for 
time is not of itself a producing cause; but the least 
as well as the greatest of these achievements, disclosing 
as they all do intelligent contrivance, is inexplicable 
apart from the direct action of intelligence. This is 
the ordinary decision of mind. I do not say that it is 
without exception, for there are individuals who ques- 
tion whether there is any such thing as mind at all in 
contradistinction to matter, and who therefore do not 
recognize its presence in nature or in man himself. 
These, however, are comparatively isolated cases. 
When I speak of the common verdict given by the 
race, I mean to be understood as affirming that there 
is something in man, which by the very law of its 
being, compels him with practical unanimity to attri- 
bute effects revealing intelligence to an intelligent 
cause. It is not—I speak of mind as mind and not of 
some peculiar type of mind—satisfied with Hzeckel’s 
explanation of a universe self-evolved from protoplasm, 
especially when Professor Tyndall assures inquirers 
that there was a definite period in the earth’s history 
when it was in a condition unendurable to protoplasm. 
Nor is its misgiving removed by Sir William Thomp- 


294 THE ARGUMENTFOR CHRISTIANITY 


son’s romantic attempt at escape from the dilemma by 
supposing that protoplasm was introduced into the 
world by being carried on a meteoric stone as pollen is 
borne by bees to sterile plants. Neither can it sub- 
scribe to the spontaneous generation theory of [etour- 
neau; and could not, even though Mr. Huxley had 
failed to declare it scientifically groundless. Indeed, 
every kind of evasion and every species of device for 
ruling the idea of a Creator out from the existing order 
of things, from its genesis and stability, are so antag- 
onistic to sound and necessary processes of reasoning 
as to be regarded almost as insulting to the under- 
standing. 

Christianity reveals the high honor in which it holds 
man’s intellect by assigning all things to the creative 
wisdom and power of God. To thought, weary with 
its explorations into origins and terrified by enigmas 
which threaten to engulf it, Jesus comes in the relig- 
ion which bears his sacred name and gently whispers, 
Gop. The mystery may not be rendered less dense, 
but thought is soothed and reconciled by the word. 
The answer is a tribute to the greatness of mind, a 
recognition of the fact that it cannot be satisfied with 
a solution less significant and sublime, and carries with 
it an intimation of absolute sufficiency. Whatever may 
be said of the theistic hypothesis, it certainly chimes 
in most wonderfully with man’s mental constitution ; 
and though it undoubtedly leaves many difficulties 
untouched, it removes far more and brings with it 
more compensations in the glorious reflections and 
hopes to which it gives rise than any hypothesis that 
has been invented by unbelief. Whittier, in his poem 


¥ 


a 
+5 
- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 295 


entitled “ Trust,” has impressively confirmed this view, 
and has beautified it with the charm of his devout 
genius: | 


The same old baffling questions! O my friend, 

I cannot answer them. In vain I send 

My soul into the dark, where never burn 

The lamps of science, nor the natural light 

Of reason’s sun and stars! I cannot learn 

Their great and solemn meanings, nor discern 
The awful secrets of the eyes which turn 
Evermore on us through the day and night 

With silent challenge and a dumb demand, 
Proffering the riddles of the dread unknown, 

Like the calm sphinxes with their eyes of stone 
Questioning the centuries from their veils of sand! 
I have no answer for myself or thee, 

Save that I learned beside my mother’s knee: 

‘« All is of God that is, and is to be ; 

And God is good.’’ Let this suffice us still, 
Resting in child-like trust upon his will, 

Who moves to his great ends unthwarted by the ill. 


But if the argument of this chapter is just, it must 
lead us farther than to necessary belief in the exist- 
ence of God and the disclosure of a Divine purpose 
in nature. We have already seen that the race is in 
sin, and that it is endowed with a spiritual nature ; and 
reason declares that it is no more than reasonable that 
he who devised a “peaceful concord of composition,’ 
and a “true harmony” between the various works of 
his hands, should provide for the needs of man both 
as a sinner to be saved and as a worshiper to be 
enlightened. And it is that such a correspondence 
exists between the gospel of Jesus Christ and our 
deepest necessities that accounts in no small degree 


296 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


for the permanence of its power; and I am bold to 
say that as long as the gospel remains the gospel, and 
is not reduced to a mere system of ethics, and poor 
humanity continues humanity, so long will it have in 
the mind a witness to its truth. It is incredible that 
the Almighty should have cared abundantly for man’s 
physical organs, appetites, and senses, and should have 
failed to consider the exigencies of the soul. Intelli- 
gence, when uninfluenced by blinding infidelity, rejects 
the supposition as monstrous in the extreme, and 
appeals to the prevalence of design everywhere in sup- 
port of its confidence. 

It also resents the imputation of Agnosticism, that 
it is incapable of knowing spiritual things, whether 
they relate to the being and attributes of God, or to 
the mission of Christ and the immortality of the soul. 
While it cannot question but that some minds “ will- 
fully are ignorant,” and others make alleged incompe- 
tence a reason for not inquiring at all, it cannot, and 
will not, admit that mind as mind is so limited and 
beggarly that certain knowledge on subjects most vital 
to its interests is permanently beyond the range of its 
powers. It admits that it cannot find out God to per- 
fection; but that is a very different thing from saying 
that he cannot be found out at all, and that he cannot 
disclose himself to thought in part. Limitation it 
humbly acknowledges, but nescience it indignantly dis- 
claims. When Agnosticism argues that we know 
nothing of the reality of anything but only of the 
appearance, and even then only what the appearance is 
to each individual ; that we are shut up to the interpre- 
tation of phenomena, and that phenomena will be 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 297 


viewed differently by each mind, there seems to be no 
stopping place short of universal pyrrhonism., The- 
ology is not only undermined, but the deductions of 
science are also rendered uncertain and unreliable as 
well. If I cannot know anything that may be back of 
phenomena, and consequently should neither affirm 
nor deny the Divine existence, neither should I venture 
to assume that there is any human personal conscious- 
ness back of the human bodies which I see and with 
which I have todo. The only thing I can be sure of 
is myself; and yet, if we are surrounded by phantas- 
magoria and illusions, how can I be certain that I am 
not the saddest illusion of all, a phantom chasing 
shadows ? 

Some persons may be so abnormally constituted as to 
take pleasure in discrediting the sources and the value 
of their own knowledge; but such depreciation is not 
natural to mind as mind. ‘The voice in man that pro- 
claims his own existence also proclaims the existence 
of God, and he does not find it easy to suppress its 
testimony in either case. And if the witness within 
cannot be invalidated, then in perfect congruity with 
these elementary disclosures of consciousness are the 
facts of the ever-blessed gospel; for if God can be 
known there is no insuperable difficulty in holding that 
he could reveal himself in the incarnation and ministry 
of his Son. 

(0.) Thought demands that its dignity shall be re- 
spected. It protests against being compelled to give its 
attention to trivialities, or to theories that are childish 
and shallow. Why should it occupy itself with infidel 
schemes of the universe which undertake to explain 


298 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


all mysteries merely by deftly evading them? Such 
schemes shed not a ray of light on the grave questions 
which have engaged the interest of the deepest think- 
ers, and which have tended to elevate and strengthen 
the characters of those who have given them entertain- 
ment. I defy any one to ponder the mystery of his 
own origin, his relation to the present and to the 
inevitable future as revealed in Christianity, without a 
conscious exaltation of mind and heart. Such inquir- 
ies have given to us our grandest men: poets like 
Wordsworth and Lowell; statesmen like Gladstone 
and Bright; leaders like Cromwell and Washington, 
and have had no small part to play in shaping our 
worthiest and noblest citizens. Modern unbelief pro- 
poses to banish such high matters from thought, and 
to confine inquiry to secular themes, its favorite maxim 
being that one world is enough at atime. Undoubt- 
edly it is our duty to live uprightly here and now, and 
to this duty religion exhorts us; but we claim that the 
earnest consideration of our possible and probable con- 
nection with other worlds, and of the grand teachings 
which grow therefrom, deepens, broadens, and perfects 
character, and thus qualifies us the better to fill with 
blamelessness our station in the earth. On the other 
hand, exile permanently such themes from thought, 
and their place must necessarily be filled by topics of 
inferior worth—as eating, drinking, dressing, and the 
gratification of carnal desire, or at the best with politi- 
cal discussions and industrial agitations. 

The effect of such unadulterated earthiness cannot 
adequately be described, for as yet it has never been 
experienced to its full extent ; but from what has been 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 299 


seen of it, and from its very nature, we have the right 
to conclude that it would debase man and unfit him 
for the discharge of obligations pertaining to the life 
that now is. In other words, it will be found that to 
exalt the present world unduly so as to rule out of de- 
bate all questions concerning another, will defeat its 
avowed purpose ; for instead of helping to prepare men 
to improve it wisely and enjoy it rationally, it will only 
tend to render them frothy, superficial, and selfish. 
But this extreme secularism has not yet been adopted 
by mankind, and never can be. Man is so constituted 
that you might as well forbid him to think altogether, 
as to prevent him from thinking on religious sub- 
jects. There are periods when he will and must feel 
after God; periods when, though the dust of earth 
cleaves to his wings, he will spread them for flight 
toward the Invisible ; and periods when he will turn in 
disgust from the viands of earth to clamor for the spir- 
itual clusters of heaven. The springtime excites the 
throat of the singing bird; evening calls forth the ves- 
per hymn of the nightingale, and morning evokes the 
matin song of the lark; and so when the natal hour is 
contemplated, and young life comes from the unseen 
into the seen, and when the shadows of trial deepen 
around its pathway, and when the soft light of a com- 
ing morning is felt with approaching death, the mind 
is moved to ask, “Whence came I? Why this suffer- 
ing existence, and whither go I through the gloom with 
the strange prevision of a new day about to dawn?” 
Skeptics and agnostics, call them what you will, may 
deride such questionings ; may even imagine that they 
have been laughed into silence ; and yet, as Auerbach 


300 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


has well said: “ Man sees the eternal, looks into eternal 
things. Free above all distortions and self-distinctions 
the undying mind soars aloft.” 

Thought also protests against the trivial and against 
the superficial in those theories of morals which under- 
mine the sense of personal responsibility. All over the 
world homage is rendered to moral greatness; and sin- 
cerity, truthfulness, honesty, and self-sacrifice are ad- 
mired and commended, even if they are not always 
practised. But why are these virtues and graces so 
praiseworthy ? Is it not because their archetype exists 
in the ethical nature of God, and that we being his 
creatures ought to strive to be like him? “Ought” 
suggests the word “duty,” and duty reminds us of One 
to whom something is “due,” and thus Christianity 
leads us to ground the eternal life of man in his su- 
preme obligation to the ethical life of God. Such con- 
ceptions impart depth, breadth, strength, and authority 
to the idea of right and to the principles set forth for 
the governing of conduct. But when they are swept 
aside, it seems impossible to find adequate reasons for 
the practice of morality. Why, for instance, should I 
obey conscience if it is merely a faculty or power in- 
herited from my ancestors, and the total result of their 
fears, scruples, and superstitions? Why am I to walk 
by a rule that was not enacted intelligently, and which 
is merely the result of innumerable acts and experi- 
ences, which might have been other than they were, 
and thus might have developed in me a very different 
conscience from the one I have, and one probably more 
like to my neighbors’, who may have been less fortunate 
in their forefathers? Certainly there can be no real 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 301 


authority in such a conscience. And if I am a for- 
tuitous concourse of atoms and my brother is the 
same, out of the accident which called us both into 
being, what fixed rule of action can possibly come to 
demand our mutual submission? If we try to conform 
to the Utilitarian standard, the question arises, if a man 
steals, is found out and sent to the penitentiary, are we 
to say that he has been wrong, or only unfortunate ; 
and if he steals and is not found out, and goes to Con- 
gress, dying at last in the odor of politics, are we to 
condemn or praise him? On the basis of Utilitarian- 
ism, we must judge by success or failure ; for it is not 
the act that has worth or demerit, but the result of the 
act. Thieving that leads to the State’s prison is very 
bad ; but when it brings to the Capitol, why, then,—it 
need not be characterized. Thought may sometimes 
be so deluded as to side in with these misleading 
notions ; but when it retains its native vigor and clear- 
ness it spurns them. What thought demands, what it 
regards as worthy of its attention and subscription, 
are the ethics, already described in this chapter, and 
which distinguish the Christian religion. These are 
grand enough in their scope, glorious enough in their 
influence and sublimity, deep enough in their founda- 
tions to exalt the mind, to fill it with majestic images 
of law, of justice, and of right, and to save it from all 
the mean, calculating vices of sordid secularism; and 
the religion that recognizes this noble craving of the 
intellect and meets it as fully and as magnificently as 
Christianity does, must have proceeded from “the 
giver of every good and perfect gift—the [Father of 


Lights.” 
2A 


302 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


This argument probably might have been strength- 
ened by pointing out the adaptation of Christianity to 
humanity from its beneficent influence on society at 
large. But had I entered on this phase of the subject 
I should have been obliged to anticipate some things 
which may be said with more force in the succeeding 
chapter. And yet before I close the present discus- 
sion, it may not be amiss to recognize the action of 
our religion on civilization and social life to the extent 
at least of quoting from two of our American leaders, 
both eminent in their way, and both eminently qualified 
to speak. At a meeting of the Nineteenth Century 
Club, Mr. Chauncey M. Depew replied to some remarks 
made by Mr. Julian Hawthorne, and a portion of this 
reply I give my readers: 


Mr. Hawthorne reaches conclusions which all history and 
experience refute. The one society which presented the ideal 
of science and free thought was the Athenian at its best. But 
while the highest intellectual activity, speculation, and research 
existed among the few, woman, until she unsexed herself like 
Aspasia, had no part or recognition, and the masses were neg- 
lected brutes or slaves. Inthe decay of the Roman Empire the old 
heathen faiths had broken down, Christianity was not yet under- 
stood, and there was emancipation from both faith and super- 
stition, and the result was, that for ages the world was peopled 
with wild beasts, and the only existence of right was the suffer- 
ance it received from might. Liberty, learning, and proper 
living thrived and spread only where the church best and most 
vigorously believed and disseminated the teachings of the New 
Testament. Look at England one hundred and fifty years ago. 
Death was the punishment for nearly every offense. To attend 
public executions was one of the recreations of the fashionable. 
To torture men and women in the stocks was popular amuse- 
ment. The prisons were hells of frightful crimes and hopeless 


THE ARGUMENT FROM HUMANITY 303 


sufferings. For a gentleman to beat his wife was regarded as a 
very proper thing to do. 

Now the prisons are reformed, and reformation the object of 
confinement. The wounded, the sick, the helpless, the insane, 
the aged, and the orphans are nursed, tenderly cared for, cured 
and befriended in numberless hospitals, homes, and asylums. 
Every one of these grand charities has sprung directly from the 
church as it is, both here and in England. The disciples of 
science and free thought, in the absorbing effort to find what they 
term their liberty, have never had time or thought for the relief 
or elevation of their fellow-men. ... 

I confess I do not understand the evangels of free thought. 

Here and elsewhere I have listened with the most earnest 
attention, but when they have tumbled down my church and 
buried my Bible and destroyed all the foundations of faith, they 
offer in return only phrases, collocations of words, and termi- 
nologies as mixed as chaos and as vague as space. 


This was a noble testimony to bear, and its logical 
value lies in the fact that no system could bear such 
fruits as these unless it were rooted in a soil congenial 
to its nature. Or, in other words, if it is fitted to ad- 
vance society in the manner described, it must be be- 
cause it is in substantial accord with humanity. 

In the same direction James Russell Lowell, when 
minister to the Court of St. James, spoke on a certain 
festive occasion : 


The worst kind of religion is no religion at all, and these men 
living in ease and luxury, indulging themselves in ‘‘ the amuse- 
ment of going without religion,’’ may be thankful that they live 
in lands where the gospel they neglect has tamed the beastliness 
and ferocity of the men who, but for Christianity, might long 
ago have eaten their carcasses like the South Sea Islanders, or 
cut off their heads and tanned their hides like the monsters of 
the French Revolution. When the microscopic search of skep- 


304 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


ticism, which had hunted the heavens and sounded the seas to 
disprove the existence of a Creator, has turned its attention to 
human society, and has found a place on this planet ten miles 
square where a decent man can live in decency, comfort, and 
security, supporting and educating his children, unspoiled and 
unpolluted ; a place where age is reverenced, infancy respected, 
manhood respected, womanhood honored, and human life held 
in due regard: when skeptics can find such a place ten miles 
square on this globe, where the gospel of Christ has not gone 
and cleared the way and laid the foundation and made decency 
and security possible, it will then be in order for the skeptical 
Ziterati to move thither and there ventilate their views. 


Good Jean Paul Richter wrote of his own age: “Itis 
a criticising and a critical one—a chaos of times strug- 
gling against one another; but even a chaotic world 
must have a center, revolution round that point, and an 
atmosphere.’ Even so our age also is chaotic; but 
thanks be to God it has a center—Christianity—around 
which morals, thought, and social order revolve, and an 
atmosphere of divine love permeating all things and 
prophetic of a nobler future. And judging from the 
futility of all attempts to destroy this center in the 
past, it will abide in the future as permanent and as 
fair as the mighty orb around which move harmoni- 
ously the dazzling worlds of the solar system. As the 
sun shines in its beauty, blessing the earth with light 
and heat, though fogs rise from marsh and moor 
and fen to obscure its lustre, so the Faith of Christ 
is too indispensable to the world for it not to gleam 
and beam on forever, penetrating all mists of unbelief, 
irradiating the human mind with the light of truth 
divine, and warming the desponding heart with glad 
experiences of heavenly grace. 


CHAPTER VIII 
THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 


iliac battle which Miltiades waged on the plain of 

Marathon, on behalf of Hellenic freedom, was 
one of the most salient and far-reaching events in the 
cycle of human history. It not only decided the des- 
tiny of Athens, but it. preserved Europe from the 
heavy chains of Asiatic slavery. Little did Callimachus 
realize when he gave his casting vote, which decided the 
Greek generals to meet the foe, what stupendous issues 
were to be determined by his action. Nor could any 
of the other noble hearts that thrilled with patriotism 
on that heroic day have foreseen the marvelous conse- 
quences of a fight in which neither the numbers en- 
gaged, nor the blood shed, nor the treasures lost entitle 
it to rank with the greatest engagements of ancient or 
of modern warfare. And yet, had it not been for 
Marathon, freedom would have expired; and as no 
nation can accomplish in thralldom what it can achieve 
in independency and liberty, Athens would have 
failed to be what she was to her own citizens; and 
though the Roman power might have spread over the 
world, had Athenian civilization been different the Em- 
pire, untutored by Greek genius, would not have been 
the purveyor of arts as well as arms, of letters as well 
as laws to mankind. But still far easier would it have 
been for a sagacious statesman standing in the famous 

395 


306 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


region of the Tetrapolis, or surveying the field from 
Mount Pentelicus and reflecting on the defeat of the 
Persians, to anticipate and describe the results, com- 
prehensive and wide-sweeping as they were fated to 
prove, of that glorious disaster than it would have been 
for the most gifted and foreseeing of the race to 
imagine, much less to predict, the ultimate effect on 
society, government, and humanity of that stern, sharp 
conflict between the Son of God and the hosts of dark- 
ness which gave to history the Christian religion. 
What could be more wretched and pitiable and what 
less promising of success in deeds of bold and high 
emprise than the condition of the first disciples of our 
Lord after the crucifixion, and indeed immediately 
following the resurrection. Without distinction or 
standing among their own countrymen, without re- 
sources of affluence or learning, without even perfect 
unity among themselves, and without inducements of a 
tangible kind to blind the eyes and win the allegiance 
of the mercenary, how hopeless apparently the task of 
conquering the nations. Confronted also by the bitter, 
deadly hostility of a venerable creed, and rendered 
obnoxious in the eyes of the population by its unrelent- 
ing maledictions, and antagonized by the combined 
force of all the mythologies and temples and worships 
on earth, and by the consolidated energy of all the 
vices, passions, oppressions, and hellish malignancy in 
man’s heart, how vague and visionary the thought that 
the religion of the despised Nazarene might make its 
way through the earth accepted as the deliverer of men 
and of races! Unless the means to be employed in 
this gigantic undertaking were backed by, or were 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 307 


charged through and through with the supernatural, 
only the most excessive and invincible credulity could 
suppose them commensurate with the end proposed. 
There is something sublime and overwhelming in 
the calm assurance wherewith Christ announces the 
impregnability of his kingdom and sends forth his 
humble followers—friendless, homeless, defenseless— 
to disciple, or in other words, to Christianize all na- 
tions. His commission is the very superlative of fanati- 
cism, or it is the commonplace of conscious Divinity. 
He speaks either as a frenzied enthusiast or as an in- 
spired representative of. that mysterious Power whose 
potencies are as equal to the conversion of a world as 
toits creation. Singularly impressive and pathetic also 
the unfaltering confidence of the little band of Chris- 
tian heroes which, though the presence of the beloved 
Master had been withdrawn, impelled them onward in 
apparent indifference to the impassable barriers in their 
way. Whence came their unreasoning intrepidity? 
Or was it, after all, unreasoning ? What if they were 
profoundly and unalterably convinced that they were 
the special ambassadors of God, and that the cause 
they were sent to champion, not only had his approval, 
but had emanated directly from his grace and must 
continue to have the support of his providence? What 
then? Why then in these circumstances we not only 
have the explanation of their serene trust, but we have 
also, if they were not deceived, the rational explanation 
of all the mighty things Christianity has wrought 
through the centuries. And this supposition gives rise 
to the inquiry with which we have to do in this chapter. 
Were they mistaken and could mere human ingenu- 


308 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


ity, skill, and energy have brought to pass the many 
notable deeds and changes which have been effected in 
the name of Jesus? Man plus deity we know is more 
than the equivalent of all the triumphs of our Faith; 
but man plus xothing, or plus some purely natural 
facilities, is he equal to the results attained? This 
question can only be determined by a candid examina- 
tion of the extent and character, the quantity and 
quality, of those products and outgrowths which are 
recognized as distinctively Christian. The fruit en- 
ables us not only to know the tree, but to know some- 
thing of the soil and latitude in which it lives and 
thrives. -Olive, palm, and banyan do not flourish in 
these northern climes, and when we see and taste their 
fruitage we are reminded of the zone to which they are 
indigenous as well as of the botanic class to which they 
respectively belong. What kind of fruit has the relig- 
ion of our Lord borne, and is it of such flavor and rich- 
ness as to warrant the belief that it could only have 
ripened on the boughs of a tree whose roots are in 
heaven? Can we determine the zone where this tree 
originally saw life and to which it permanently belongs ? 
Is it indigenous to paradise or to some one among the 
multiplied and sickening gardens of earth? This is the 
real point at issue in 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT, 


and its discussion ought to bring to light many honor- 
able excellencies of Christianity, and at the same time 
confirm our faith in the divinity of its origin. 

The line of defense on which we now enter is very 
liable to abuse, as there is nothing so easy as exaggera- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 309 


tion when espousing the interests of a momentous 
cause. Some writers in their eager desire to prove the 
wonderful beneficence of our religion, have been be- 
trayed into assertions they would find it difficult to sub- 
stantiate. The world had accomplished much in the 
direction of art and literature long before Christianity 
appeared, and had even learned some imperishable les- 
sons on the subjects of law and liberty. Greek cul- 
ture and Roman jurisprudence are too manifest in the 
civilization of our times for their influence to be 
underrated or decried by intelligent minds. Christian- 
ity may have refined, purified, and imparted a new ethi- 
cal and spiritual tone to literature; but it did not 
originate the principles of style or the highest forms 
of expression. In architecture it may have realized, - 
as in the Hagia Sophia, at Constantinople, the ascend- 
ency of spirit over matter, and in Gothic cathedrals 
“the worship of God in stone”’; but it is impossible 
to separate these triumphs from marble column and 
architrave that beautified the temples of Athens and 
Ephesus, though the structures they adorned were des- 
titute of the more mystical qualities. While the Moses 
of Michael Angelo, the reliefs on the Sebaldus Monu- 
ment of Vischer, at Nuremberg, the colossal statue of 
Christ by Dannecker, and the Twelve Apostles of 
Thorwaldsen, reveal in plastic art the fullness and 
majesty of the human soul pervaded by the divine 
presence, they were preceded by the groups of Niobe 
and Laocoon, and the statues of Apollo Belvidere, and 
the Medicean Venus. Although these ancient master- 
pieces suggest either the despotic and crushing power 
of fate, or the supremacy of the beautiful in life, they 


310 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


furnished immortal zesthetical ideals which have influ- 
enced the productions of the modern school. These 
relations ought to be recognized, and nothing is to be 
gained by ignoring our indebtedness to the past. 
Neither is it fair to overlook what has been done by 
other agencies contemporaneous with Christianity and 
sometimes antagonistic to it, in promoting the progress 
of society and the elevation of mankind. Rational- 
ism, as Lecky has shown, is entitled to credit for not 
a few reforms that have been wrought in recent years, 
and science unquestionably has accomplished much for 
the welfare of mankind. Let us render to every force, 
as well as to every man, its due; and rejoice that some- 
how in God’s wise providence “all things work to- 
gether for good.” 

But on the other hand, is not Christianity deserving 
of like magnanimity on the part of its judges? When 
it is described as the greatest curse that ever afflicted 
the race, leading to more abominations and cruelties 
than any other; and when it is denounced for having 
obliterated the joyousness of former ages; and when 
its ministers, a class having given the community some 
of its chief educators and thinkers, are set down as 
“leavings, ravelings, and selvage,” the writers of such 
scurrilous billingsgate only prove that they have not 
read Tacitus and Livy, and do not appreciate the dif- 
ference between sound argument and scandalous abuse. 
And such vituperative vaporings may well be treated 
with amused and contemptuous silence. But there are 
many instances of failure to recognize all that is really 
traceable to the influence of the Christian spirit on 
modern society, which ought not to pass without re- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 311 


monstrance. I am satisfied that while many benefits 
may have been conceived and conferred by persons not 
professedly followers of Jesus, they were not entirely 
exempt from the subtle inspiration of his precepts and 
example. The atmosphere has much to do with aman’s 
endeavors as well as his own natural capacity. If it is 
poisonous and debilitating, his efforts will be vague and 
languid ; if pure and exhilarating, they ought to be vigor- 
ous and sustained. Religion is an atmosphere as wellasa 
doctrine, and multitudes unconsciously inhale it, and 
then do many excellent and philanthropic things which 
they insist on attributing to the unaided power of their 
own right arm. We could smile at their oblivion to 
what has in fact moved them to deeds of goodness, 
were it not that their blindness, to use no harsher 
term, is a palpable wrong committed against Christ and 
his cause. Let us be just on all sides in this discus- 
sion. Let us not attribute to Christianity more than 
can be legitimately claimed, but at the same time let us 
not fail to discriminate between its direct action and in- 
direct influence on the world’s history for twenty cen- 
turies, for both are necessary to a clear understanding 
of its achievements. 

First. Christianity has vanquished Pagan creeds. 1 
use the plural form “creeds,” for while the religion of 
the Roman Empire was one in its fundamental prin- 
ciple, it was manifold in expression. It was essentially 
practical and utilitarian in aim, and avowedly polythe- 
istical in belief, which led to the adoption of the deities 
of conquered nations, both as a measure of piety and of 
wisdom. This policy gave diversity to its worship, as 
the rites attending the gloomy faith of the Etruscans, 


312 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


or the more genial services connected with the mythol- 
ogies of Greece, or the ceremonies marking the fanati- 
cism of Asian mysteries, or, in the days of decline and 
degradation, the ecstatic orgies of the Phrygian god- 
dess with her wretched mutilated priests. The altars 
of these deities were maintained with singular impar- 
tiality, and the foreigners who came in and who at last 
supplanted the original stock, found at hand the means 
of devoutly honoring the gods of their native land. 
Such a system was only possible in a community where 
men regarded all religions as equally false, or where 
they had not reached a higher stage of intellectual de- 
velopment than to suppose that each locality, each 
nation, and possibly each distinct interest of humanity 
had its own peculiar god. 

Christianity from its very nature had to antagon- 
ize this mighty Pantheon. From the very start it 
was war to the death and to absolute extermina- 
tion. Primitive disciples would accept neither truce 
nor compromise; and their unrelenting temper, 
while inspired by their Monotheism, I am _ persuaded 
was intensified by what they knew to be the polluting, 
enslaving, and debasing effect of idolatries on in- 
dividual and communal life. They evidently assailed 
the evil as the one gigantic curse that carried with. it 
every other curse, from oppression in the government 
of the imperial Jupiter and all his Olympian satellites, 
in the form of procurators, lictors, tax-gatherers, and 
spies, to immorality in the houses of the rich and the 
hovels of the poor, and in the vices of the baths and the 
cruelties of the amphitheater. Some among the ami- 
able and elegant d/ettante of our times lift up their 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 313 


hands in horror at the virile intolerance of the early 
church that chose death rather than burn a pinch of 
incense on an altar in honor of a deified emperor, and 
that declined to wear a garland of flowers or offer a 
libation for the sake of conciliating an outraged public 
sentiment. And yet had it not been for these self- 
sacrificing protests, the unmitigated beastliness of the 
ancient world might have been the crowning infamy of 
our own age. The murdered bodies of the martyrs 
rose as a barrier, arresting the foul, feculent stream 
that would otherwise have inundated everything fair, 
and true, and good in the possible future of humanity. 
Their lack of appreciation of the beauties involved in 
old mythologies, which has roused the ire of some 
recent pagans, may well be excused in view of the ser- 
vice they rendered society in saving it from the in- 
decencies fostered by these fictions. Better obliterate 
all the idle stories, however charming and conducive to 
art, that have been penned by the fertile imagination 
of man, than permit them to sap the foundations of 
virtue. So judged the primitive saints and, at the 
cost of their lives, they succeeded at least in stripping 
idolatrous fables of authority and power, reducing them 
to the rank of mere fairy tales ; and the gentlemen who 
can sneer at their iconoclasm would presumably utter 
no protest against Boccaccio and Rabelais being per- 
mitted to tutor the infant mind in morals. 

In the year 398 A. D., Porphyry, Bishop of Gaza, 
addressed a communication to Chrysostom urging him 
to obtain a decree from the emperor for the destruc- 
tion of the pagan temples in that city. Through the 


influence of Eutropius the edict was procured, and in 
2B 


314 THE ARGUMENT HOR CHRISTIANITY 


the year following another was issued, committed to 
Eutychianus, prefect of the East, for the demolition 
of temples and idols throughout the country. Previous 
to this date, 380 a. D., the Emperor Theodosius com- 
manded the people to believe in “the sole deity of the 
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, under an equal 
majesty and pious Trinity,” and further directed that 
“the followers of this doctrine assume the title of 
Catholic Christians.” ! At a period yet earlier, namely, 
October 28, 312 A. D., occurred the so-called conver- 
sion of Constantine, an account of which he gave to 
Eusebius, and which is usually regarded as determining 
the victory of Christianity. During the night before 
the battle of Saxa Rubra he claimed to have had a 
vision in which he was commanded to inscribe the sign 
of the cross on the banners of the legions. He, like 
Paul, was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, and 
after the defeat of his rival, Maxentius, he marched to 
Rome and there published the ever memorable edict 
of toleration in favor of the Christians. 

But this was neither the beginning nor the cause of the 
religious supremacy achieved by the new Faith. Before 
the days of Arcadius, or of Theodosius, or of Constantine, 
and before the fight of Adrianople and the conflict at 
the Milvian Bridge, and before the sacred monogram 
on the labarum had been invented, and even prior to 
the cruel reigns of Diocletian and Galerius, who strove 
to exterminate the Galileans, and who represented the 
cause they cheerfully suffered for on State coins asa 
strangled hydra, Christianity had conquered. It did 
not succeed because the court countenanced it and 


1 Tillemont, XI., p. 155; Cod. Theod., XVI., pp. 1, 2. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 315 


honored it; but it was smiled on by the court and 
patronized because it had succeeded, had prevailed 
against the argument of enemies, and had _ estab- 
lished the divinity of its origin, and had prevailed 
against all idolatries and had carried conviction to the 
popular mind that they were unworthy of confidence 
and respect. 

It would, however, be misleading to say, aS some 
historians have done, that the Roman Empire was 
converted. These haughty Czsars, these warrior 
princes, living in Oriental seclusion and splendor in 
their “sacred apartments,’ whose piety was of the 
sort that attached superstitious importance to a nail 
from the true cross as the proper adornment for the 
bridle of a war horse, and whose spiritual discernment 
and consistency are illustrated by the care they took to 
maintain Sunday observance and the consultation of 
the haruspices, had very little in common with Jesus 
and his apostles. They could hardly be compared with 
the meek and lowly followers of the Lamb whose earn- 
est zeal and simple worship arrested the attention of 
Pliny. From such as these they were separated by a 
diameter that gives to us the exact distance between the 
extremes of virtue and vice, spirituality and worldliness. 
The empire was never converted. It was startled, ter- 
rified. Visited by strange calamities, imperiled by en- 
emies from without and afflicted sorely with civil strife 
within, it seemed to be hastening to decay, and its 
apprehensions at last inclined it to a show of submis- 
sion before that strange creed which had multiplied its 
adherents in the face of all opposition, and which had 
not hesitated to attribute all national ills to the slow- 


316 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


ness of the people in acknowledging its wonderful 
claims. Christianity never converted the Roman Em- 
pire. It did, however, conquer for itself a supreme 
place in thought; did acquire a potent ascendency 
over the mind and imagination of the age, did infuse 
something of its spirit into the habits, pursuits, and 
customs of the population; did exercise a restraining 
influence on chiefs and rulers ; did increase its converts 
until they were conspicuous in all vocations and were 
prominent even in the army and civil service of the na- 
tion; and did break down the altars, close the temples, 
and forever discredit the gods of paganism and expel 
them from any serious part in the affairs of men. But 
while this achievement was stupendous, wonderful, and 
even marvelous, the empire as a whole was not renewed 
in heart. It was in the fourth and fifth centuries what 
other nominal Christian countries have been in the 
eighteenth and nineteenth, a field where flowers grew 
among briers, a pond where lilies lifted their heads 
above slime, a region of spiritual death, where a living 
church pursued its toilsome way seeking and saving 
the lost. 

It isan error to suppose that the advantage gained by 
Christianity over ancient creeds was due to their having 
already been rejected by the public. Remember that the 
struggle was obstinately maintained during the larger 
part of three centuries, and that the tenacious resist- 
ance of the old beliefs to the new religion was extra- 
ordinary, continuing even in rural districts long after 
the question at issue had been settled in communities 
like Rome and Antioch. The gods of the mythologies 
were very real to the masses of the people; indeed so 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 317 


real, that some among the Christians themselves re- 
garded Jupiter, Venus, and Apollo, not as fictions, but 
as actually existing evil spirits whose power was not by 
any means to be despised. But admitting that pagan- 
ism had to some extent lost its hold on the nation, as 
it undoubtedly had on certain classes of philosophers 
and poets, the signal of attack would naturally rekindle 
the old flame of devotion and rouse its sleeping votaries 
to the defense. This was indeed what followed the 
appearance of Christianity and the first indications of 
its hostility to the cults of the venerable past. As 
soon as they were assailed, almost every man, however 
insensible he had been to their charms, felt called on to 
champion their cause. Even men of literary preten- 
sions and of dialectical skill, who would at other times 
have mocked the old mythologies, resented interference 
with their supremacy by entering boldly the arena of 
controversy against their enemies. Celsus, the Epicu- 
rean, though masking as a Platonist, was one of the 
leaders in this forlorn hope, and essayed to triumph by 
using weapons that bore resemblance to the truths 
most commonly avowed by Christians themselves. 
Porphyry, the New-Platonist, moving along practically 
the same lines, stood by Celsus, and both of them were 
answered by Justin Martyr and Origen. These Fathers 
very wisely held their infidel antagonists to the crucial 
question—whether natural religion was sufficient to 
care for the eternal interests of mankind? And they 
did not discuss or impeach what was manifestly true in 
Platonism. Like Augustine at a later day, they for 
substance said as he did: “In Cicero and Plato, and 
other such writers, I meet with many things acutely 


318 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


spoken, and things that awaken some fervor and 
desire, but in none of them do I find the words ‘Come 
unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I 
will give you rest.’’’ Hierocles answered all such sweet- 
tempered defenders with the dazzling and bewildering 
mysticism of theosophy, while Lucian, “cynically 
immoral,” attempted to sneer and ridicule them out 
of court. But they both alike failed in their tactics, as 
did Jamblichus and Philostratus, who sought to under- 
mine the authority of Jesus by striving to show that 
their heroes, Pythagoras and Apollonius, had also 
wrought miracles. But all of these writers, and others 
too, were more than matched by Hermias, Tatian, and 
Tertuliian, who at times knew, only, alas! too well, 
how to return scorn for scorn, sarcasm for sarcasm, and 
fierce denunciation for denunciation. 

Through all this terrible battle of acute intel- 
lects inflamed by zeal and animosity, there ap- 
pear signs of a change in public sentiment. Seneca 
occasionally reveals a strange gentleness, Epictetus 
an almost womanly submission, and Quintilian an 
unusual affection and resignation in domestic af- 
flictions that at once suggest the quiet and unob- 
trusive spread among the people of those sweet 
precepts which fell like showers of light from the lips 
of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount. Unquestion- 
ably the truth advanced toward victory through these 
early controversies, or in despite of them, and when 
what may be termed the Apologetic period closed, 
Christianity was mistress of the situation. Her adver- 
saries had all been successfully answered even if they 
had not been finally silenced, and she had laid a foun- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 319 


dation in argument for her claims which has withstood 
the searching tests of skepticism up to the present 
hour. 

But the pagan world relied not alone on the convinc- 
ing force of eloquent discussion. It had equal, if not 
more confidence in the persuasive power of the bloody 
amphitheatre, and the mercies of the famished lions. 
Beginning with Nero, it is usual to enumerate ten per- 
secutions directed against the church, though Pressensé 
takes account of only eight—the last one being that of 
the Diocletian reign, 303 A. D. But whether eight or 
ten, they were fierce enough, and there was little to 
choose on the score of cruelty between them, whether 
ordered by a Nero, a Trajan, a Marcus Aurelius, a Sev- 
erus, a Maximin, a Decius, a Valerian, or a Diocletian. 
They were all monstrous, horrible, devilish. I employ 
strong terms because a disposition has been shown of 
late to underrate the fury of the tempest that beat 
upon the early church, and that swallowed among 
other thousands, Paul, James, Peter, Ignatius, Polycarp, 
Justin, Blandina, and Felicitas. Concerning one of 
these terrific and destructive outbreaks—the Decian 
persecution, 249 A. D.—Lecky writes as follows: 

It would be difficult to find language too strong to paint its 
horrors. The ferocious instincts of the populace, that were long 
repressed, burst out anew, and they were not only permitted, 
but encouraged by the rulers. Far worse than the deaths which 
menaced those who shrank from the idolatrous sacrifices, were 
the hideous and prolonged tortures by which the magistrates 
often sought to subdue the constancy of the martyr, the nameless 


outrages that were sometimes inflicted on the Christian virgin. — 
fist. of Morals, Vol. /., p. 478. 


Tearing the flesh with the sharp teeth of the iron 


320 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


ungule, exposing helpless women to the brutalities of 
gaolers and soldiers, with other and indescribable tor- 
tures, formed modes of punishment, and prolonged the 
victim’s exquisite agonies. In view of these excessive 
measures it is surely unnecessary to bandy words with 
those who for the sake of bolstering their own unbelief 
seek to exonerate paganism from the charge of infamous 
and unpitying bloodthirstiness. Whatever skeptics may 
say and however they may sneer, the sufferings of the 
martyrs were such as to excite the admiration and sur- 
prise of the stoics; and were such as to lead Napoleon 
to declare that everywhere these poor people were de- 
stroyed “and everywhere they triumphed.” 

And this brings us again to the question: How came 
they to prevail against such tremendous odds? They 
withstood an empire and overcame. They were as- 
sailed by its culture, refinement, affluence, power, and 
prejudice, and came off victorious. Various authors of 
repute have attempted to explain this unique phenome- 
non on purely rationalistic principles. I for one believe 
that they leave much to be desired in their explanations. 
Gibbon’s “ Five Causes for the Spread of Christianity,”’ 
are perhaps of all attempted solutions of the problem 
the one best known. These are: (1) The intense and 
intolerant zeal of the disciples, derived from the Jews, 
but evinced on behalf of a religion more cosmopolitan 
than theirs; (2) the doctrine of the soul’s immortality 
coupled with the belief that the world was approaching 
the final catastrophe; (3) the miraculous powers of the 
primitive church; (4) the exceptional and exalted mo- 
rality of the early Christians; and (5) the government 
of the church, its strength, ambition, and wisdom. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 321 


We cannot object to any of these causes, though 
we may to the manner in which they are treated by 
Mr. Gibbon. But accepting even his statement of them 
we are still obliged to inquire: How came this religion, 
born in a remote province of the Empire, to be endowed 
with so many qualities of commanding greatness? In 
other words, the causes undoubtedly explain the victory, 
but what is there to explain the causes? 

The same question arises on reading Mr. Lecky. I 
condense his summary of the distinct elements of power 
and attraction appearing in primitive Christianity : 


Unlike the Jewish religion, it was bound by no. local tie, and 
was equally adapted for every nation and for every class. Un- 
like Stoicism, it appealed in the strongest manner to the affec- 
tions and offered all the charm of a Sympathetic worship. . . 
It gave a noble system of ethics, capable of being realized in 
action. It proclaimed the universal brotherhood of mankind ; 
it taught the supreme sanctity of love. To the slave, it was the 
religion of the suffering and oppressed. To the philosopher, it 
was the expansion of the best teaching of Plato. To a world 
thirsting for prodigy, it gave wonders ; to a world deeply con- 
scious of political dissolution, it announced the immediate de- 
struction of the globe. To-a world that had grown weary gazing 
on the cold, passionless grandeur which Cato realized, and which 
Lucan sung, it presented an ideal of compassion and love—an 
ideal destined for centuries to draw around it all that was great- 
est as well as all that was noblest upon earth—a Teacher who 
could weep by the sepulchre of his friend, who was touched with 
the feeling of our infirmities. . . Above all, the doctrine of sal- 
vation by belief, which then for the first time flashed upon the 
world ; the persuasion, realized with al] the vividness of novelty, 
that Christianity opened out to its votaries eternal happiness, 
while all beyond its pale were doomed to an eternity of torture, 
supplied a motive of action as powerful as it is perhaps possible 
to conceive. 


B22 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


But what other features and characteristics would we 
expect in a religion sent from God and grounded in his 
good providence? It is not denied by the friends of 
Christianity that the secret of its success lies, as Mr. 
Lecky acknowledges, in its eminent fitness to meet the 
needs and to satisfy the spiritual nature of mankind ; 
but neither he nor other critics are prepared to tell us 
whence came this fitness. That is the unsolved prob- 
lem. Unbelief obscures it and tries to evade it by glit- 
tering descriptions of the sublime aspects of this 
wonder-working Faith. But it never seems to realize 
that in removing one difficulty it has created another. 
In providing a religion equal to the greatness of the 
victory won, it has only made plain the graver difficulty 
of accounting for the origin of such a religion apart 
from the Divine interposition. If*Christianity is not 
so remarkable as rationalistic writers represent, then its 
success against paganism must have been due to AI- 
mighty power and wisdom; and if it is as extraordi- 
nary, then it must have proceeded from his grace, and 
on either supposition it is entitled to our veneration 
and confidence. To this conclusion we are logically 
driven by its success against paganism.! 

SECONDLY, Christiqnity has civilized barbarian tribes. 
When Valens fell, and his army was annihilated by 
the Goths at Adrianople (378 A.D.) the partisans of 
the expiring cultus attributed the disaster to the 
spread of the new religion. And since those times, 


1 See Augustine’s Confessions, VII., IX.; Neander, ‘‘Church,” I., 160; ‘‘ History of 
Doctrine,” Shedd, Vol. I, pp. 60-72; Froude, ‘‘ Short Studies,” III.; Farrar, ‘‘ Wit- 
ness of Hist. to Christ’’; Pressensé, ‘‘ Hist. Church in First Three Centuries” ; 
Cave, ‘‘ Primitive Church”; Gibbon’s ‘‘ Roman Empire,” Vol. I., ch. 15; Lecky’s 
‘* History of Morals,’’ Vol. I., ch, 3; and Uhlhorn’s ‘ Conflict of Christianity with 
Heathenism.’”’ 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 323 


and indeed in our own, it has been maintained that 
Christianity precipitated the Roman Empire to its over- 
throw. This, however, is a misconception. Ramsay 
quotes Mommsen, whose qualifications to write authori- 
tatively on the subject will not be questioned, as holding: 


That Christianity was in reality not the enemy but the friend 
of the Empire, and that the Empire grew far stronger when the 
emperors became Christian.—Church in the Roman Empire, 


Pe Oe: 


Ambrose evidently was not conscious of any such 
antagonism ; for when delivering the funeral oration on 
the deceased ruler Theodosus, in the Basilica of Milan 
(395 A. D.), he ranks him with Constantine in the good 
work of cementing and unifying the mighty dominions 
over which they reigned. He even goes so far as to 
declare that one of the sacred nails taken from the 
rediscovered cross, and given by Helena to her son, 
held the Empire together. And it is worth remember- 
ing that the disciples of our Lord always professed 
loyalty to the head of the government, and only hesi- 
tated to obey when obedience involved treason against 
the greater King. To give merely a single instance 
of this allegiance from among thousands, we may take 
the following : 


’ 


‘« You ought to love our princes,’’ said the proconsul to the mar- 
tyr Achatius, ‘‘as behooves a man who lives under the laws of the 
Roman Empire.’’ Achatius answered, ‘‘ By whom is the emperor 
more loved than by the Christians ? We supplicate for him contin- 
ually a long life, a just government, a peaceful reign, prosperity 
for the army and the whole world.’’ ‘‘Good,’’ replied the pro- 
consul ; ‘‘but in order to prove your obedience, sacrifice with us 
to his honor.’’ Upon this Achatius explained: ‘‘I pray to God 


324 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


for my emperor, but a sacrifice neither he should require nor we 
pay. Who may offer divine honor to a man?’’—Conftict of 
Christianity with Heathenism, Uhlhorn, p. 234. 


This dialogue illustrates very clearly the attitude of 
the Church toward the State under the Czesars. Her 
faithfulness to principle, her exaltation of conscience, 
and her reverence for God and righteousness tended 
rather to preserve the nation from ruin than to acceler- 
ate its decline; and there is every reason to believe 
had it not been for her wholesome influence the catas- 
trophe to government and civil order could not have 
been postponed so long as it was. She discerned the 
falling fortunes of the Empire and interposed to delay 
its final disruption. The fact is, it was already in a 
moribund condition when she appeared, though exter- 
nally it had the semblance of soundness, and had only 
recently assumed the crown and the purple. Already 
was the body politic fatally poisoned, and Dr. Lindsay 
gives a reliable account of the origin and progress of 
its incurable malady. He says: 


The corrupting influence of paganism entered into the very 
essence of the social life of the Roman at the time when Chris- 
tianity began its career. The thoughtful reader of contempo- 
rary literature cannot fail'to observe how day by day the poison 
instilled itself into every nook and cranny of the social life of 
the people.—Lucyclopedia Britannica, Vol. V., p. 605. 


Then quoting from the “North British Review,” 
Vol. XLVII., he continues : 


It met him in every incident of life, in business, in pleasure, 
in literature, in politics, in arms, in the theatres, in the streets, 
in the baths, at the games, in the decorations of his home, in 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 325 


the ornaments and service of his table, in the very conditions 
and the physical phenomena of nature. It is not easy to 
call up as a reality the intending sinner addressing to the dei- 
fied vice which he contemplates a prayer for the success of 
his design ; the adulteress imploring of Venus the favors of her 
paramour; the harlot praying for an increase of her sinful 
gains ; the pander begging the protection of the goddess on her 
shameful trade; the thief praying to Hermes Dolios for aid in 
his enterprises, or offering up to him the first-fruits of his plun- 
der ; young maidens dedicating their girdles to Athene Apaturia ; 
youths entreating Hercules to expedite the death of a rich uncle. 
And yet these things, and far worse than these, meet us over and 
Over again in every writer who has left a picture of Roman 
manners in the later republic and under the beginning of the 
Empire. , 


In perfect keeping with this sad portrayal of infa- 
mous dissoluteness is the portrait drawn by Matthew 
Arnold, of the typical Roman patrician : 


On that hard pagan world disgust 
And sated loathing fell ; 

Deep weariness and sated lust 
Made human life a hell. 

In his cool hall with haggard eyes 
The Roman noble lay, 

He drove abroad in furious guise 
Along the Appian Way. 

He made a feast, drank fierce and fast, 
And crowned his hair with flowers ; 

No easier, nor no quicker passed 
The impracticable hours. 


Here then we have the secret of that downfall which 
Mr. Gibbon has employed six volumes to describe and 
explain. But we have something more than a sufficient 


account of the cause that led to the calamities which 
2A 


326 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


overwhelmed the ancient world; we have also a dis- 
closure of the necessity that existed for races more vig- 
orous and less debauched than the Latins on whom the 
gospel could exercise its saving and civilizing power, 
and through whom its benefits could be transmitted 
to the remotest regions of earth. Hence the historical 
and spiritual significance of the barbarian. The Roman 
citizen was no longer plastic, but was fixed and hardened 
by his civilization. Multitudes among the lower classes, 
and many even from among the upper orders were re- 
deemed from its thrall, and the influence of Christianity 
came also to be widely felt and recognized; but for some 
reason the new religion was perpetually impeded by the 
culture, customs, and settled ways of the Empire. It 
could break down altars, close temples, overawe the pop- 
ulace and control the hand that ruled the State; but it 
could not mold the people as a whole according to its 
ideals, nor fashion out of them a higher civilization. 
Their vices, weaknesses, and degradations had rendered 
them altogether too brittle for the experiment to be suc- 
cessful; and hence, as Paul turned from the Jew to the 
Gentile, so the gospel turned from the Roman to the 
barbarian. In the latter, though the soil could hardly 
be regarded as virgin, and though undoubtedly it was 
burdened with manifold pernicious growths, it was cer- 
tainly receptive, and thoroughly tillable. Uhlhorn is 
therefore warranted in saying : “It was not the civilized 
nations of the Graeco-Roman world, but the Germans, 
who were to be the vehicles of Christianity. The old 
world was too much penetrated by heathen traditions 
for Christianity to take deep root in it.” ' 


1“¢ Charity in Ancient Church,’ p 222, 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 327 


It is interesting to observe the providential ways by 
which the semi-savage tribes of the north were brought 
into touch with the Faith of the Cross. Constantine, 
purely for purposes of government, that a new and 
vigorous element might be made to blend with the 
feebler native stock, drew to his personal service many 
Germans, and permitted them to settle in cities and 
throughout the country. Valens also allowed the Goths 
to cross the Danube; Arcadius was equally favorable 
to alien hosts; though rude invaders, like Atilla, did 
not wait for imperial invitation nor expect a cordial re- 
ception. These rough tribes proved themselves suscep- 
tible to the influence of Christianity, and even the cruel 
king of the Huns when he was entreated by Leo III., now 
usually described as the pope, to evacuate Italy, yielded 
to the persuasive majesty of Christ’s representative, 
backed, according to tradition, by the shadowy forms of 
the Apostles Paul and Peter, as portrayed in a picture of 
the event by Raphael.’ In nearly all of the modern king- 
doms of Europe traditions are preserved, more or less 
legendary, of the providences which led to the conversion 
of their founders. Thus the Burgundians, suffering from 
the victorious power of the Huns, and believing that 
the Christ of the Romans could deliver them, for- 
mally professed his name. The happy issue of a battle 
in which Clovis had petitioned the God of his wife to 
interpose on his behalf, led to the conversion of the 
Franks. In England also, Northumbria and Mercia 
were moved to espouse the cause of the Redeemer be- 
cause of special blessings and extraordinary military 
successes vouchsafed to them. Everywhere are such 


1“ Historical Sketches,’’ Newman, p. 30. 


328. THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


stories met with, and they go to prove that in the 
origin of the modern world and in the course and char- 
acter of its development the spirit of Christianity is 
distinctly revealed. As this spirit arrested Genseric 
the Vandal at the very gates of Rome, and as it in- 
spired Alaric the Goth with reverence for the right of 
sanctuary in the church while in the flush of his vic- 
tory over that city, so in the persons of an Ulphilas, a 
Severinus, and a Boniface, it confronted and subdued 
barbarism and introduced into its career, always suffi- 
ciently stormful and violent, the high motives and con- 
secrated ideals, the refining arts and social amenities 
which distinguish our own enlightened age. 

Gibbon admits’ that “the progress of Christianity 
has been marked by two glorious and decisive vic- 
tories over the learned and luxurious civilization of 
the Roman Empire, and over the warlike barbarians 
of Scythia and Germany who subverted the Empire 
and embraced the religion of the Romans.” But to 
estimate the significance of the latter the literary, 
artistic, musical, social, and political results of the 
victory must be considered. Christianity has practi- 
cally given to Europe its varied and copious languages 
out of the Gothic, the old Prussian, the Celtic, the 
Saxon, the Latin—fashioning improved vehicles of 
thought and causing almost another Pentecost, whose 
tongues, if not of fire, speak with the fire and light of 
genius to all the generations. The mighty works, the 
Titanic births of literature, that are in themselves litera- 
ture and the mothers of literature; the “ Vzbelungen 
and Gudrun,’ with their heroines, Chrimhild and Gud- 


1 Vol. III., p. 385. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 329 


run ; the “ Perczval,” of Eschenbach, regarded as the 
real harbinger of the Reformation; the “ Comedia,” 
called by admiring generations “ Dzvinua,” of Dante 
Alighieri; the “Paradise Lost,’ of Milton, wherein 
the poet sings of sin, of death, of the shape, “if 
shape it can be called that shape has none”’ ; the plays 
of Shakespeare, which without being distinctly religious 
are marked by moral earnestness and by Christian 
conceptions of marriage, paternal duties, and redemp- 
tion ; even the dramas of Voltaire, which have vitality 
and are inspiring, the “ Zazre,” and the “ A/zzre,” are 
indebted to the spirit of the Gospels for their power 
over the emotions ; these with the more recent creations 
of the Brownings, Hugos, Tennysons, Longfellows, 
Whittiers, MacDonalds, and the rest, are all traceable 
to the quickening force of Christianity. 

The same is true of modern art, painting on glass, 
painting on canvas, or shaping figures of strength or of 
beauty in stone and bronze. These have derived their 
ideals and their motive, and that indescribable something 
termed soulfulness or expression, from that wonderful 
religion which has enabled mankind to feel the reality of 
invisible things. From its strange influence on the 
human mind came the bell and the organ ; and without 
it the Bachian and Handelian music would have been 
unthinkable; while without it neither Palestrina nor 
Beethoven would have charmed the thoughts of men 
from earthly thraldom to spiritual exaltation. Music 
even more than poetry owes its life to the Cross. The 
ancients knew but little of it. The fingers of God in 
Christ’s incarnation had to sweep the sacred emotions 
of the human soul, for music in its noblest, deep- 


330 THE ARGUMEN’T FOR CHRISTIANITY 


est, divinest sense to fill the world with thrilling har- 
mony. 

But not only has Christianity taught barbarian tribes 
how to speak, how to write, how to think, how to build 
cathedrals, paint pictures and compose sweet songs; 
it has also taught them how to curb their wild 
animalism, how to restrain their violence, how to pre- 
serve their liberty by law, and how to organize society 
for the well-being of the people. This educational 
process is not yet completed; for it is not an easy 
thing to eliminate entirely coarse and gross taints 
from the blood. The most highly civilized nations occa- 
sionally break forth into savage acts, into saturnalias of 
blood, into communistic vandalism, into brutal Jew- 
baiting and expulsions; while individuals and secret 
cabals hurl explosive infernal machines among innocent 
people in a Paris café, or infuriated with strong drink, 
on a small scale repeat the murderous crimes of a 
Zingis anda Timour. But these excesses we have rea- 
son to hope will finally yield to the Spirit of our Lord. 

In 980 A. D. was proclaimed the “Truce of God.” 
The church had used her influence to secure this cessa- 
tion from the incessant fighting of those cruel times, 
and the warlike powers had consented to limit their 
trial at arms to three days out of seven. This was an 
enormous gain; but we have long since outgrown such 
thirst for strife and bloodshed. Compassion and ten- 
derness in our day even find a place on the battle-field ; 
and where armies are butchering each other, men and 
women wearing the Red Cross, and at the peril of their 
own life, are ministering with impartiality to the needs 
of the wounded and the dying. This intrusion of the 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 331 


Christian spirit into the very pandemonium of human 
passion is of the greatest significance. It is the Chris- 
tian way of putting an end to war altogether. Some 
day the soldiers will refuse to fire on the enemy when 
they see unarmed men and delicate women come to 
succor the maimed and suffering. The incongruity, not 
to say the brutal absurdity of the thing, cutting each 
other's throat, with the emblem of peace and brother- 
hood being carried through the torn and bleeding ranks, 
will inevitably produce a reaction, and the savagery of 
warfare will be revived, or what is more likely, warfare 
be ended for good and all. Mark, this approaching di- 
lemma of combatants is not occasioned by civilization 
or by culture, but by the Cross, and by the Cross ex- 
clusively ; and is in evidence as showing that the relig- 
ion of Christ now, as in the past, has power over men, 
and by interposing her form in the day of battle will 
surely end forever the fratricidal struggles of the race 
and usher in the blessed and unending “Truce of 
God.” This also is evidently the expectation of no 
less an author than the brilliant M. Dumas, who pro- 
phetically writes : 


These armaments of all nations, these continual menaces, this 
resumption of race oppression, are evil signs, but not signs of 
bad augury. They are the last convulsions of what is going to 
disappear. The social body resembles the human body, the 
malady being only a violent effort of the organism to throw off a 
morbid and noxious element. Those millions of armed men 
who are drilling every day in view of a war of general exter- 
mination, have no hatred toward those they may be called upon 
to fight, and none of their leaders dare declare war. An agree- 
ment is inevitable within a given time, which will be shorter 
than we suppose. I do not know whether it is because I am not 


332 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


much longer for this life, and that the light from over the horizon 
already affects my vision, but I do believe that our world is about 
to witness the realization of the words, ‘‘ Love one another !’’ 
without inquiring whether it was a man or a god who uttered 
them. 


Nor are the friends of evangelical Christianity alone 
in attributing this remarkable potency to the Faith 
they champion, and the wonderful transformation of 
barbarian tribes to its influence. On the same subject 
Mr. W. E. H. Lecky writes: 


The great characteristic of Christianity, and the great moral 
proof of its divinity, is that it has been the main source of the 
material development of Europe, and that it has discharged this 
office, not so much by the inculcation of a system of ethics, 
however pure, as by the assimilating and attractive influence of a 
perfect ideal. The main progress of mankind can never cease 
to be distinctively and intensely Christian as long as it consists of 
a great approximation to the character of the Christian founder. 
There is indeed nothing more wonderful in the history of the 
human race than the way in which that ideal has traversed the 
lapse of ages, acquiring new strength and beauty with each ad- 
vance of civilization, and infusing its beneficent influence into 
every sphere of thought and action. 


And in the same direction testifies Lord Macaulay, 
whose words especially deserve to be cherished, -as they 
not only confirm all that has been set forth in this 
argument, but duly emphasize the iniquity of rejecting 
an agency so beneficent. He says: 


I altogether abstain from alluding to topics which belong to 
\ divines ; I speak merely as a politician, anxious for the morality 
and the temporal well-being of society ; and so speaking, I say 
that to discountenance that religion which has done so much 
to promote justice, and mercy, and freedom, and arts, and 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 333 


sciences, and good government, and domestic happiness, which 
has struck off the chains of the slave, which has mitigated the 
horrors of war, which has raised women from servants, and 
playthings into companions and friends, is to commit high treason 
against humanity and civilization. 


THIRDLY, Christianity has vindicated human rights. 
De Tocqueville has very justly observed that, 


The equality of conditions is more complete in the Christian 
countries of the present day, than it has been at any time, or in 
any part of the world.— Democracy in America, Intro., p. 4. 


In agreeing with this statement there is no necessity 
for the eyes to close themselves to the unhappy in- 
equalities which disfigure modern society. The French- 
man’s representation is merely comparative ; and com- 
paratively speaking the present is far in advance of the 
past in the recognition of human rights. 


Christianity, finding men in serfage and degraded all over the 
earth, had arisen on the fall of the Roman Empire, like a 
mighty vengeance, though under the aspect of resignation. It 
had proclaimed the three words, which two thousand years after- 
ward, were reached by French philosophy—diberty, equality, 
Jraternity,—among mankind. But it had fora time hidden 
this idea in the recesses of the Christian heart. As yet too weak 
to attack civil laws, it had said to the powers: ‘‘I leave you still 
for a short space of time in possession of the political world, 
confining myself to the moral world. Continue if you can to 
enchain, class, keep in bondage, degrade the people. Iam 
engaged in the emancipation of souls. I shall occupy two thou- 
sand years, perchance, in renewing men’s minds, before I be- 
come apparent in human institutions. But the day will come 
when my doctrine will escape from the temple, and will enter 
into the councils of the people. On that day the social world 
will be renewed.’’—Lamartine, Hist. Girondists, Vol. Tent husa 


334 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Whatever historical inaccuracies in matters of detail 
may be noted in this passage, taken as a whole it must 
be accepted as thoroughly reliable. The age that 
witnessed the beginnings of Christianity lavished no 
special honor on man as man. What we mean in our 
day by “humanitarianism” had no existence then. 
The individual was not considered as an end unto him- 
self, but only as a means subordinate to the welfare of 
the commonwealth. For this reason women, children, 
and slaves were held in slight esteem, and to all intents 
and purposes were destitute of rights, as they were 
regarded as contributing nothing toward the realization 
of an ideal State. It is not forgotten in making these 
general statements that Seneca declared “man to be 
sacred to man,” or that with singular felicity he wrote: 
“He errs who thinks that slavery takes possession of 
the whole man. His better part is excepted. Bodies 
are subject to masters, the soul remains free.” <A 
Greek poet before his time had eloquently exclaimed : 
“Though he be a slave, he is, O master, none the less 
aman.” Occasionally such sentiments were expressed 
by philosophers and poets, but they made little if any 
impression on the public mind, and they were practi- 
cally inoperative. ‘They resulted in no real ameliora- 
tion of the condition in which millions suffered until 
after the ministry of Christ. Nor are the elevated 
maxims of the Stoics to be ignored, nor the principles 
of their philosophy to be undervalued; but it still re- 
mains true that they did not produce any marked 
change on society until the advent of Christianity. 
Slowly following that sublime event we discover more 
of the spirit of philanthropy in the Empire, and a 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 335 


clearer discernment of the rights of all human beings. 
Improvements took place in the position occupied by 
women, and Trajan and Alexander Severus became 
especially considerate of the needs of childhood. 
Mothers began to nurse their children, the custom 
of exposing babes declined, and their training became 
a subject of frequent discussion. Arrangements were 
also made to provide for poor children, institutions for 
their benefit being commenced by Nerva. The dignity 
of labor also began to be recognized. Severus and 
Caracalla conferred freedom on various guilds of arti- 
sans, and men of toil gradually realized that work was 
not necessarily the badge of slavery. These and other 
reforms were undoubtedly coincident with the appear- 
ance and early labors of Christianity, and at the first 
glance would seem to be due exclusively to her influ- 
ence. But this assumption is challenged by some of her 
friends as well as by her enemies, and it is claimed that 
these beneficial changes sprang from the spirit of Stoic- 
ism. Even Uhlhorn, who admits that these ameliorat- 
ing movements were “foreign to the spirit of the classic 
world,’ argues that they represent “an independent de- 
velopment in which the heathen world took a step to meet 
Christianity.” ‘“Inthis way also we see,” he observes, 
“how God led the heathen toward his Son, and here 
too, we recognize that the fullness of time was come.’’’ 
His theory is, that the first century witnessed the con- 
fluence of two streams, the one representing the nobler 
thought and life of heathen sages, the other embody- 
ing the ethical life of Christianity, and both proceeding 
from the one Divine source. 


1“ Conflict of Christianity with Heathenism,” p. 278. 


336 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


There may be a measure of truth in this presentation 
of the case, and yet the fact ought never to be lost 
sight of that until our Lord taught and suffered, phi- 
losophy had failed to fruit in practical beneficence. 
Zeno, the founder of the Stoics, was born in the 
Island of Cyprus about the year 362 B. C., and died at 
an extreme old age. His successors in the séoa, the 
porch, called from the paintings of Polygnotus, the 
Variegated Porch, were Cleanthes and Chrysippus, the 
latter of whom is immortalized by Horace. These 
teachers undoubtedly held that “all men are by nature 
equal and that virtue alone establishes a difference 
between them.” And yet from the third century be- 
fore Christ to the days of the Czsars this sublime 
principle brought no appreciable relief to millions of 
human beings who were the pitiable victims of various 
disgraceful oppressions. As Froude declares : 


It carried no consolation to the hearts of the suffering millions, 
who were in no danger of being led away by luxury, because 
their whole lives were passed in poverty and wretchedness. It 
was individual, not missionary. The Stoic declared no active 
war against corruption. He stood alone, protesting scornfully 
in silent example against evils which he was without power 
to cure. Like Cesar, he folded himself in his mantle. The 
world might do its worst. He would keep his own soul un- 
stained. 


This fatal weakness was due to other doctrines incul- 
cated by the Stoics, which if they did not invalidate the 
first, obscured it and prevented it from being of any 
immediate benefit to society. Such, for instance, was 
their belief that self-love is the elementary inspiration 
to conduct ; and their conviction, as expressed by Sen- 


& 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 337 


eca, of man’s supreme majesty and of his duty to 
emancipate himself from the fear of God and of a fu- 
ture world. They were a haughty, self-contained, arro- 
gant class, having little in common either in theory or 
in fact with the best interests of the race. The slight 
influence of their primary conception regarding the 
equality of mankind and the ennobling power of virtue, 
is witnessed in the lives of some of their foremost 
adherents, in such famous personages as Cato the 
elder, who was notorious for his cruelty to his slaves ; 
in Brutus, who was guilty of continued and merciless 
usury ; in Sallust, whose name was a by-word for con- 
temptible avariciousness; and even in Seneca, whose 
admirers have been unable to exculpate him from re- 
sponsibility for some of the crimes of his royal pupil, 
Nero. Is it not remarkable, to say the least of it, that 
suddenly this Stoicism from being an inoperative ab- 
straction should become a moral force in the Empire, 
breaking down prejudices, correcting abuses, and vindi- 
cating the rights of man. It is absurd to attempt the 
explanation of the problem by attributing this unex- 
pected development to “the infusion of the Greek ele- 
ment in Roman life,’ and “to the softening influence 
of a luxurious civilization” ; for the Greeks themselves 
were not models of humanity in their treatment of 
women, children, and slaves; and the effect of «lux- 
urious civilizations,” whether in Persia or in France, 
under an Artaxerxes or a Louis XIV., has never been 
to lighten the burdens resting on the people, or to 
change for the better their condition. I cannot, there- 
fore, go with Lecky and Uhlhorn to the full extent of 


their views on this interesting subject. I agree with 
2D 


238 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


them that Stoicism served an important purpose. It 
had imparted to certain classes some exalted ideals, and 
had given glimpses of a higher virtue than was current 
in society, and thus had in a measure prepared the 
way for the influence of Christianity, without which, 
however, I am persuaded it never would have been 
suspected of accomplishing reforms in the manners or 
the morals of the Empire. Christianity supplied what 
Stoicism never possessed—love and humility—love for 
God and man, and that lowliness of spirit that counts 
nothing too mean or poor for the tender offices of affec- 
tion, The fact that this religion was for a long time 
obscure and apparently hardly recognized _ by the 
world’s leaders, does not decisively militate against 
the position that it early became a quickening force in 
a vast community practically indifferent to its exist- 
ence. History repeatedly shows that the lower classes 
ultimately influenced the higher, and that progress has 
been determined, as a rule, by the action of peoples on 
their chiefs and not by the chiefs on the people; and 
further, that opinions cherished by the lowly, if true, 
are sure to work their way up into the highest social 
circles and find an entrance into the most exclusive 
philosophies of the schools. I for one, therefore, main- 
tain that, while Stoicism may have served as an ally, 
that the origin of the movement on behalf of human 
rights as well as its continued progress and enlargement, 
is primarily due to the thought and spirit of Christianity. 

The Rev. G. Matheson, in his “ Growth of the 
Spirit of Christianity,” has well said : 

From the days of Augustine to our own days, the history of 
Christianity has been the history of the progress of human 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 339 


liberty. It is not correct to represent the birth of this liberty as 
an event accomplished at the Reformation. Protestantism did 
indeed greatly contribute to its growth and the increase of its 
strength ; but its life had dawned long before. The annals of 
Medizeval Europe exhibit amidst a mass of individual corruptions 
a progress of generic freedom. 


But very few persons pause to consider how much is 
comprehended in this work. Usually it is restricted to 
some form of political independence ; and yet it includes 
far more, and embraces among other things the right to 
life, the right to think, the right to action, the right 
to justice, and the right to worship. Christian- 
ity found little value attached to human life, and in- 
vested it with a new and glorious sanctity. Plato had 
countenanced infanticide, and Cato had sold his aged 
slaves, and even Seneca had expressed indifference to 
the sufferings of his fellows: “To feel pain at the mis- 
fortunes of others is a weakness unworthy of the wise 
man. . . Only weak eyes become inflamed at the sight 
of ophthalmia in other men.’’! Poisoners, like Locusta, 
were not uncommon, and they found plenty of trade 
among the patricians, an example of which we have 
recorded in Cicero’s speech, “pro Cluentio.” The habit 
of “limiting the number of children,” as Tacitus eu- 
phemistically phrases it, was not uncommon, and was 
hardly considered immoral, though condemned by pub- 
licists on political grounds; and suicide was considered 
an inestimable privilege, of which such men as Musonius 
Rufus, Cato, Petronius had taken advantage, and con- 
cerning which Pliny wrote: “There are some things 
that even God cannot do; for he cannot seek death if 


1 Sen. Clem., 2: 6. 


340 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


he wishes it—that best of gifts which he has given to 
men amid all the miseries of life.” 

Against all these murderous customs Christianity ar- 
rayed itself from the beginning. It condemned the 
guilty mother, and led Constantine on the very year of 
his conversion to provide for the sustenance of babes 
abandoned by unnatural parents. Nor would it admit 
the sale of children nor any other kind of indignity vis- 
‘ted on them in the name of parental rights. It likewise 
opposed the brutality of gladiatorial shows until they 
were finally suppressed through the heroic fortitude of 
the Asiatic monk, Telemachus. Teaching, as it did, the 
doctrine of redemption and the marvelous grace of the 
incarnation, intimately related to the immortality of the 
soul, life assumed a sanctity it had never been invested 
with prior to the Christian era. And Lecky is more than 
warranted in saying “that it was wholly foreign to the 
genius of paganism.” Let it never be forgotten that to 
childhood Christianity gave its rights; while even to 
this day throughout the entire heathen world no ade- 
quate provisions have been made to guard the interests 
and promote the special welfare of the young. And 
as from the first it defended the helpless in years, it 
likewise threw its protecting arms around the suffering 
and oppressed of every class and sex. The church be- 
came a refuge for many who were unjustly pursued by 
enemies, and her ministers confronted and rebuked 
those high in authority, as Ambrose did Theodosus in 
Milan, who cruelly tyrannized over the people. She 
claimed for all persons the right of justice, the right to 
be judged by law, the right to a fair trial, and to honest 
juridical procedure. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 341 


While it is true she failed to demand the manumis- 
sion of the slave, she from the outset not only im- 
proved his condition, but likewise rendered his position 
so anomalous as to necessitate his ultimate freedom. 
She recognized in him the dignity of human nature, 
placed him on an equality with his master before the 
cross and at the communion table, and withheld not 
from him the highest ecclesiastical dignities. Many 
Christians would not continue to hold their fellow- 
beings in bondage. Chrysostom exhorts to the eman- 
cipation of superfluous slaves. Melania gave eight 
thousand of these unhappy creatures their freedom. 
Augustine delivered his servants from the yoke. And 
the early church, as a whole, stood between the fugitive 
slave and his angered owner, affording him a sanctuary, 
and interposing her offices of mercy on his behalf. Her 
attitude was inimical to the institution that branded 
labor with dishonor, and compelled princes and poten- 
tates to recognize in its crushed and bleeding victim a 
man and a brother. Exultantly Chrysostom exclaims: 
“Through the vista of history we see slavery and its 
pagan theory of two races fall before the holy word of 
Jesus—all men are the children of God.”’! And, even 
though with shame it is to be confessed that many pro- 
fessors of religion have acted contrary to this primary 
doctrine of the gospel and have countenanced the in- 
famous theory of paganism, the spirit and general trend 
of Christianity have been in the direction of freedom 
for all, freedom—political, social, and ecclesiastical. 
Hence Melanchthon’s words are eternally true,— 
“tyrannis est tnimica ecclesie,’—and have been more 


Home x 1X. 


342 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


than verified, not only by her opposition to slavery in 
the third century and the nineteenth, but by all the 
church has done to secure civil liberty, whether in 
wresting Magna Charta from the hand of King John, 
in preserving the Commons of England from the en- 
croachments of the royal prerogative, in asserting 
the independence of the American colonies, or in the 
sympathy she has manifested with the masses in every 
age and country as they have been struggling to enlarge 
their opportunities and multiply their privileges. 

On no portion of the human family came the blessings 
of the Christian Faith with greater power than on 
woman. Her position in the ancient world, however 
varying in degrees of comfort or of honor, was invari- 
ably inferior to that of man. She was never in any true 
sense regarded as his equal. In Greece, the female 
sex had been rigorously excluded from participation 
in the higher education, in the affairs of State, 
and in the employments and emoluments open to 
men. Plato had counted it a kind of public calamity 
for wives to be regarded as on an equality with their 
husbands, and Aristotle had spoken contemptuously of 
their worth in comparison with their male companions. 
At first the Romans esteemed woman more highly than 
the Greeks. Their matrons were reverenced, and 
while not exactly on an, equality with their lords, ex- 
erted considerable influence on the household. Chastity 
was cherished and conserved, and according to Plutarch 
two hundred and thirty years elapsed before a divorce 
was granted in Rome. But with the rise and progress 
of imperial institutions this desirable condition of things 
came to an end. The Empire was fatal to purity, 


a’ 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 343 


to modesty, and consequently to the emancipation and 
elevation of woman. 


We are assured by Seneca that there were women in Rome 
who counted their age not by the consuls, but by their husbands, 
and by Juvenal that one had married eight husbands in five years. 
Divorce was resolved upon on the slightest pretext. Cicero put 
away Terentia apparently because he had a rich ward whose 
fortune he coveted ; many separated merely from love of change, 
disdaining to give any reason, like AEmilius Paullus, who told 
his friends that ‘he knew best where the shoes pinched him.”’ 
—Soctety Under the Cesars, Lnge., Dp. 187. 


Unquestionably woman was sinking into the utter- 
most depths of depravity and hopelessness when Jesus, 
the Christ, began “both to do and to teach.” From 
the hour when it was understood that “there is 
neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, neither 
male nor female, for all are one in Christ Jesus,” her 
emancipation began. She could no longer be held a 
captive to the lust and arrogance of the opposite sex, 
and be treated summarily as a subordinate and inferior, 
Having been admitted to the benefits, rights, and privi- 
leges of the gospel on an equality with man she could 
not permanently be ignored or maltreated. Centuries 
might elapse from the dawning of this better day before 
its full significance should be comprehended and appre- 
ciated ; but nevertheless, no conceivable combinations 
could arrest its progress. We may read the promise 
of this brighter future in what Clement of Alexandria 
writes of the regenerated institution of marriage. 
“Marriage,” he says, “is a school of virtue for those 
who are thus united, designed to educate them and their 
children for eternity. Every home, every family must 


nk 


344 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


be an image of the church, for says our Lord, where two 
are gathered in my name there am I in their midst.” 
“The husband and wife,” he continues, “may share 
equally in the same perfection.” And when Fabiola, in 
the fourth century, founded at Rome the first public 
hospital, she furnished a luminous example of the multi- 
plied activities opening before woman, and which in the 
coming centuries should exalt her to her true place of 
power in the social and religious worlds. It is related 
of Libanius, the pagan sophist and tutor of the Emperor 
Julian and of John the Golden Mouthed, that when he 
heard Chrysostom relate the story of his mother, 
Anthusa, he exclaimed in loudest admiration, ‘“‘ What 
women these Christians have.” But what would he 
have said if he had lived in these times of victory, when 
the dreams and longings of the gentler sex are approach- 
ing most glorious and triumphant fulfillment? How 
startled and fascinated would he have been could he 
only have known Florence Nightingale, Julia Ward 
Howe, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Lady Henry Somer- 
set, Frances Willard, and others of the same general 
type. Could he have known them and their noble 
sisters, would he not have acknowledged the divine 
origin of the religion that could produce such women 
as these? 

The vital relation of Christianity to the recognition 
and realization of human rights is proven by the fact 
that in those lands where the former flourishes most 
vigorously the latter are enjoyed most fully. England 
and America are cited in support of this statement ; 
and though skeptics and agnostics may try to account 
for the exceptional freedom of these nations by various 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 345 


hypotheses, the truth still remains that in the last 
analysis they are differentiated from less favored 
countries by the character of the religion they profess. 
In the United States this is especially evident; for 
there the rights of man and Christianity seem to have 
attained their largest development and mutually to sus- 
tain each other. De Tocqueville noticed this union 
when he wrote: “American civilization is the result of 
two distinct elements, which in other places have been 
in frequent hostility, but which in America have been 
admirably combined and incorporated with one another. 
I allude to the spirit of religion and the spirit of lib- 
erty." Hence it is that Judge Story, referring to the 
beginnings of our government, declares that “the at- 
tempt to level all religions and to make it a matter of 
State policy to hold all in utter indifference, would have 
created universal disapprobation if not universal indig- 
nation.” And hence, likewise, Daniel Webster gave 
utterance to the following words: “All, all proclaim 
that Christianity, Christianity independent of sects and 
parties, that Christianity to which the sword and fagot 
are unknown, general, tolerant Christianity, is the law 
of the land.” From this source we can easily trace all 
that is worthiest in our national life. It is a matter of 
history that Christianity inspired the voyage of the 
«Santa Maria,” and filled the sails of the “‘ Mayflower,” 
and laid the foundations of the Great Republic. And no- 
where within the wide circle of the earth does the indi- 
vidual, whether man, woman, or child, stand more secure 
in the possession of his God-given rights than in Amer- 


ica. There he is crowned, sceptered, throned, and all 
EE SEG ES SO i a an Re ee ay 


1“ Democracy in America,’ P- 39. 


346 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


are pledged by “sacred honor” to leave inviolate the 
personal empire of one another. And there more fully 
than elsewhere, and there more fully with each year, the 
sublime enlargement of humanity portrayed by Victor 
Hugo, and by him discerned as coming speedily to the 
European peoples, has been achieved : 


There is decline in war, decline in despotism, decline in the- 
ocracy, decline in slavery, decline in the scaffold. The sword 
blade grows shorter, the tiara is fading away, the crown is vul- 
garized, war abased, usurpation is circumscribed, shackles are 
growing lighter, the rack is out of joint. . . . The Pharaoh 
is a mummy, the Sultan is a phantom, the Cesar is a counter- 
feit. . . . A stammering which to-morrow will be speech, 
and the day after to-morrow a gospel, proceeds from the bruised 
lips of the serf, of the vassal, of the laboring man, of the pariah. 
The gag is breaking between the teeth of the humanrace. The 
patient human race has had enough of the path of sorrow, and 
refuses to go farther. 


And all this time Christianity progresses in the 
United States, grows stronger and more bounteous, 
thus proving that between her and the legitimate rights 
of man there is perfect sympathy and accord.! The 
non-evangelical churches make no kind of showing by 
the side of the stupendous gains indicated below. 
Taken altogether their entire membership is less than half 
a million, and disproves the reiterated assertion that Bible 
orthodoxy is losing its hold on the American people. 
The truth is, it never was so vigorous and so victorious 


1 At the beginning of the Federal Government the total membership of the Protest- 
ant churches was 300,000, or one in 15 of the population. ‘‘ In 1800 it had risen to one 
in 14.50 by actual count; in 1850 it was one in 6.57, and in 1890 it reached, by the most 
careful census ever taken, 4.73.”” According to government statistics the Roman Catholics 
only number in the States 6,231,000, and though reinforced by immigrants, are rela- 
tively losing ground; while evangelical Protestants have added to their communion 
during the last decade 3,800,000 members. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 347 


as it is at present. Infidels’ may pronounce it to be 
moribund, and rationalists may attribute its lingering 
survival to ignorance and superstition; but just the 


same figures demonstrate that it never multiplied con- 
verts with more rapidity than in the most enlightened 


republic of ancient or modern times. If Patrick Henry 
in his day could say, “I am much consoled by the re- 
flection that the religion of Christ has been attacked 
in vain by all the wits and philosophers, and its triumph 
has been complete,” surely we, who behold its power- 
ful influence and its masterful achievements in America 
must believe, not only that its triumphs are greater 
than ever, but that having successfully vindicated the 
rights of man it has proven its own supernatural origin 
and vocation. 

FourTHLy. Christianity has invaded heathen lands. 
The date 1792 will ever remain memorable in the 
annals of the church. It ranks with that of 325, when 
at Nicaea the true faith was formulated and defined : 
with that of 1414, when at Constance the true faith 
defended itself in the presence of kings and prelates ; 
with that of Worms, 1521, when it humbly but firmly 
asserted its right to speak as instructed by God’s word; 
with that of 1526, when at Spire it protested against 
being characterized as heretical and against the enthrall- 
ment of conscience; and with that of 1689, when in 
Ingland its ultimate triumph was assured by the Edict 
of Toleration. With these dates that of 1 792 must 
ever stand equal in importance and significance; for 
then it was the true Faith roused itself to a sense of a 
long-neglected mission and went forth from the little 
town of Kettering, scarcely known outside the British 


348 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Isles, to conquer the world for Christ. Ruskin says :" 
«That which is incapable of change has no history, and 
records which state only the invariable need not be 
written.” Virtually the history of Christianity had 
closed with the Protestant victory of 1688; and for the 
next hundred years it hardly undertakes anything and 
becomes monotonously apathetic. With the appear- 
ance of Carey, Fuller, Hall, Ward, Marshman, Wesley, 
Whitefield, and the Asburys a new volume was com- 
menced, the burden of which seems to be the overthrow 
of all ethnic creeds and the submission of all races to 
the sceptre of Jehovah-Jesus, and which bids fair to 
rival in sublimity the story of the earliest triumphs of 
the Cross. Since then history has been made very 
rapidly, and no one can honestly say that the church is 
dead, or has been buried under the detritus of old- 
time fables, or has retired from the activities of her 
vocation. Rather may she exclaim with Browning: 
I live you see. 

Go through the world, try, prove, reject, 

Prefer—still struggling—to effect 

My warfare ; happy that I can 

Be crossed and thwarted as a man: 


Not left in God’s contempt apart, 
With ghastly smooth life dead at heart. 


As the winds burdened with the waters and vapors of 
the Atlantic and Pacific traverse from the west and 
southwest and deposit their treasures on the mountains 
and in the channels and basins of Switzerland, where 
they are congealed by the icy breath of the north, so 
the precious gospel of God’s Son was carried by the 


1 “* Beauties,’’ p. 309. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 349 


gracious operations of the Spirit to England and after 
a while became stiff, hard, and cold in the heart of the 
nation, having been chilled and frozen by the glacial 
and hibernal influences of a latitudinarian and a plati- 
tudinarian age. And as in Switzerland, the burning 
south in happy excess of fury releases the captives, 
thawing the streams, melting the snow-fields, and free- 
ing the avalanches, and sends forth the children of free- 
dom in mists and dews and showers to gladden the 
earth, so in England, through the burning ministries of 
the Comforter, divine truth was emancipated from the 
frigid grip of dead formality and has not only spread 
itself as never before through Europe and America, 
but has distilled its blessings on the domains of Asia 
and the Dark Continent of Africa. This resuscitation, 
this outgoing and overflowing of zeal, energy, and 
anxiety for the conversion of Buddhists, Confucianists, 
Shintoists, Parsees, and Mohammedans, I think of as 
the INVASION OF HEATHEN LANDS, an achievement so 
sublimely audacious, so morally magnificent, and so strik- 
ingly successful as to strengthen immeasurably the 
argument of this chapter. 

1. Lhe heroic character of the invasion is itself 
impressive. Christianity goes not into distant re- 
gions for the purpose merely of destroying the little 
of religion that has come to the knowledge of the 
people. It believes with Lamartine that “impiety may 
clear the soul of some consecrated errors, but does not 
fill the heart of man.”’ Hence, likewise, it holds as he 
taught: 

Impiety alone will never ruin a human worship. A faith de- 
stroyed must be replaced by a faith. There is but a religion 


350 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


more enlightened, which can really triumph over a religion 
fallen into contempt by replacing it. The earth cannot remain 
without an altar, and God alone is strong enough against God. 
—Hist. Girondists, Vol. L., Dp. 155. 


Neither does it regard itself as bound to maintain that 
there are no elements of good or of goodness in the Faiths 
it assails in their own strongholds, or that they are all 
the products of conscious and deliberate fraud. From 
the boughs of the peach tree at Gettysburg, after can- 
non-firing and musketry had ceased, a bird poured forth 
melodious song. ‘There it had been sheltered in the 
battle, and there it had heard ball and shot whizz by 
and had felt them wound and scar its refuge; but all 
the same, sweet notes were in its throat and were to 
create a moment’s harmony in the pause of battle. 
There is a song bird somewhere in every creed, how- 
ever poor the tree may be, and however it may be 
enswathed in the gloom of agony and strife. Were 
it otherwise, the creed would perish; for nations having 
attained some measure of civilization are not so blind 
and dull as to continue the support of a system entirely 
destitute of truth, and having in it no elevating princi- 
ples and sentiments.*. These may be few and small ; 
nevertheless they are there, as the tiny bird in the tree 
at Gettysburg. 

Christianity, however, is clear that heathen religions 
taken in the whole bearing of their teachings on man- 
kind are pernicious, and, that whatever may be said 
in their favor, they are not redeeming and are real 
hindrances in the way of individual and social regen- 
eration. What an eminent Orientalist, quoted by Dr. 
Fairbairn, has said on the comparative value of sacred 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 351 


books, fully justifies this positive conviction. Here is 
the testimony : 


If you want to prove the truth, the wisdom, the sober and 
honest history of the Bible and the purity of its religion, place it 
among the sacred books of the East. In these books there are 
many grains of gold, but they are hid in mountains of the most ~ 
extraordinary rubbish, and the extraordinary thing is that it is 
the rubbish that calls forth the enthusiasm and admiration of 
the people who own them. The sobriety of the Bible, the pu- 
rity of its spirit, the elevation, and devotion of its tone, make it 
occupy an entirely unique place. 


But however erroneous heathen Faiths may be, to dis- 
pute their credentials and to challenge their worth is 
an undertaking demanding the highest courage. They 
are strongly entrenched in the superstitious veneration, 
if not in the affections, of their adherents. Like the 
pyramids of Egypt that have gradually become more 
and more securely imbedded in the sands, these relig- 
ions have sunk deep into the hearts of the worshipers 
and are not be dishallowed and disenthroned without 
prolonged controversy and painful struggle. In com- 
parison with their hugeness and bulkiness, Christianity 
is but as David to Goliath; and though the pebble of 
the gospel may prevail against the spear of the giant it 
will never do so without nerve, skill, and heroic faith. 
The magnitude of the enterprise is rarely measured. It 
is not child’s play. It is one religion daring to array 
itself against all the others, denying their authority, 
spurning their priesthoods, deriding their traditions, 
undermining their civilizations, and antagonizing their 
deepest and most settled prejudices. The memories of 
the past, the silent influence of the dead, are leagued 


352 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


against the bold intruder, rendering the God-imposed 
task more difficult. The very atmosphere of heathen- 
dom is charged with the vices, brutalities, cruelties, and 
abominations of unnumbered generations of idolaters, 
and the living inhale them with their breath, and are 
inspired by them to resist the encroachments of Chris- 
tianity. 

Therefore, when a little Baptist Association, over a 
hundred years ago, deliberately resolved on the reduction 
of heathenism, and determined on sending out an army 
of occupation, the stupendous audaciousness of the pur- 
pose excited the ridicule of not a few worldly-wise indi- 
viduals, and indeed was without a parallel except in the 
earliest aggressions of the church. And what rendered 
the movement more entertaining to the scoffers, and 
what imparted to it more and more of the spirit of 
desperate rashness and presumption was the fact that the 
enterprise was entrusted to the generalship of a “Con- 
secrated Cobbler,” who himself constituted nearly all that 
there was of the expedition. Imagine a return to the 
familiar scenes of their earthly career of the Chinese 
Sage, the Light of Asia, the Prophet of Allah, and of 
others who once led the millions of earth in the ways of 
worship, having been startled from their long sleep by 
these extraordinary proceedings. Can we not easily 
picture their wondering looks as they contemplate the 
preparations made to overthrow the massive and enduring 
work of their hands, and can we not readily hear them 
indignantly exclaiming with Goliath: «Am Ia dog, that 
thou comest to me with staves?” And surely there never 
sailed from England's shores a venture seemingly 
so forlorn and so inadequate to cope with foes as that 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 353 


which was committed to the good ship “ Kron Princessa 
Maria” on the 13th of June, 1793. To Christians of 
our day, and even to those among them who are inter- 
ested in foreign missions, the sending out of Wm. Carey 
to convert the heathen is the most literal and appar- 
ently the most reckless interpretation on record of the 
inspired words: 


God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound 
the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to 
confound the things which are mighty ; and base things of the 
world, and things which are despised hath God chosen ; yea, and 
things which are not to bring to nought things that are. 


Nor were the earliest missionaries satisfied to confine 
their labors to some narrow district, but planned and 
wrought with a breadth of design that implied a pur- 
pose at the very beginning of operations to subdue the 
entire East. This is the more remarkable, as at the first 
Carey and his colleagues were shut up within the nar- 
row limits of Serampore. Further expansion seemed 
utterly impossible, and yet we find them arranging to 
assign empires and nations to the rule of Christ. The 
province of Bengal was not wide enough for their sacred 
ambition ; and though they stood alone among the dense 
populations of that district, yet by their schools, native 
converts, and translations, they influenced the remotest 
parts of Asia, and became the harbingers of Judson in 
Burma, of Martin in Persia, of Gogerly in Ceylon, and 
of Morrison in China. And in our times the litera- 
tures diffused through the vernaculars of diverse peoples, 
the seats of learning which elevate many cities and 
towns, the hospitals and medical missions that suggest 


354. THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the healing grace of Jesus, the incorruptible word of 
God speaking its message in fifty translations, and the 
vast army of converts, of native pastors and evangelists 
which glorify and beautify India, grew out of the work of 
the man who was set apart to his vocation in the Bap- 
tist meeting-house of Leicester, and of his devoted 
associates, Ward and Marshman. 

But the heroic character of this invasion is evinced 
not merely by the vastness and difficulties of the cam- 
paign undertaken, but by the fortitude and intrepidity 
demanded at every stage of its prosecution. Beyond 
the immeasurable seas, beneath the sombre gloom of 
dreary mountains, and by sluggish rivers on whose 
waters rests the shadow of spiritual death, in savage 
forests, sandy karoos and in tangled bush, wretched tent 
and stately temple, the mission heart, like the heart of 
Christ, seeks the subtle Hindu whose reasoning is de- 
spairing hallucination, the cruel Tartar whose career is 
perpetual warfare, the degraded Hottentot whose creed 
is an endless horror, the sin-cursed, man-crushed Afri- 
can whose worship is ceaseless agony; and indeed 
all peoples and tribes, though they be hardly less 
brutal and ferocious than the pitiless creatures that 
prowl in sickly glades or crouch in poisonous jungles. 
To save in time and for eternity the low-browed, ani- 
malistic, benighted masses of alien lands, to save from 
the disgusting wizardry of groveling superstition, the 
deceptions of lying oracles, and the base rites of idol 
service, the ambassadors and soldiers of our Lord 
plunge into the pestiferous wilderness, wade through 
malarious swamps, penetrate regions scorched by 
tropic heat or blighted by winter’s cold, and _sepa- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 355 


rated from friends and exposed to enemies, endure 
revolting sights, brave the assassin’s knife and the 
tyrant’s dungeon and pass through sufferings the most 
excruciating to mind and body. There is Carey con- 
fronting the darkness and despair of ancient India. 
The sneering remark of an English friend rings still 
in his ears: “When God will have the heathen con- 
verted he will accomplish it without your aid”; and 
there comes over him a sense of helplessness and 
hopelessness as he finds himself with wife and assist- 
ant, insane on his hands. There also is Judson, another 
heroic soul, who in imprisonment, sickness, and_be- 
reavement never swerved from the great purpose which 
had led him to the Burmese nation. Of his consecra- 
tion and unfaltering courage an idea may be formed 
from the reply he made to one who more than doubted 
his success: ‘Just leave me alone, and twenty years 
after this, look this way again.” 

Then there are his coadjutors Luther Rice and 
Boardman, men of apostolic spirit, and of apostolic 
sufferings and vicissitudes. No scene more _pa- 
thetic has occurred in the history of modern missions, 
excepting the lonely death of Livingstone, than was 
witnessed when the dying Boardman was borne to the 
banks of the river that he might behold the converts 
from heathenism avowing their faith in holy baptism. 
Moreover, there is Alexander Duff, shipwrecked, in 
peril from false brethren, and enduring much from 
officials in the Indian government, whose visit to 
Carey is thus beautifully given in his “ Biography.” 


Turning to the left, he sought the study of Carey in the house 
‘built for angels,’’ said one, so simple it is—where the greatest 


356 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


of missionary scholars was still working for India. There he 
beheld what seemed to be a little yellow old man in a white 
jacket, who tottered up to the visitor of whom he had already 
often heard, and with outstretched hands solemnly blessed him. 
A contemporary soon after wrote thus of the childlike saint : 


Thou’rt in our hearts—with tresses thin and gray, 
And eye that knew the Book of Life so well, 

And brow serene, as thou wert wont to stray 
Amidst thy flowers, like Adam ere he fell. 


And then there is Livingstone, once the poor, ambi- 
tious Scotch boy, but now worn with toil and years, 
having penetrated the Dark Continent, having fulfilled 
his promise to “open a door into Central Africa,’’ who, 
when breathing his last in the solitudes of the wilder- 
ness, thus appeals to the Christian world: «All I can 
add in my solitude is, may Heaven’s rich blessing 
come down on every one who will help to heal this 
open sore of the world.’”’ But there are others, men 
living and men dead, whose names known to history 
and unknown, and more by far than can be enumer- 
ated? For time would fail to tell of the devoted 
Eliot, the seraphic Brainard, the soldierly Schwartz, 
the poetic Heber, the stalwart Marshman, the ener- 
getic Ward, the evangelical Moffat, the saintly Binney, 
the scholarly Brown, the sweet-souled Kincaid, the 
brilliant Ashmore, the consecrated Clough, and the 
loyal and self-sacrificing McKay. Few nobler men 
are there than these, and rarely has an invasion been 
led by such gifted and fearless captains. Their names 
are synonymous with all that is disinterested, intrepid, 
and chivalrous ; and it does seem that a religion capa- 
ble of a moral conception so surpassingly grand as to 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 357 


enlist the fervor and sustained endeavors of such un- 
selfish and exalted souls could scarcely have originated 
in vulgar deceptions, or in foolish illusions. 

2. The providential aspects of the invasion are 
worthy of special note, and likewise very clearly point 
to the supernatural as the real source and the perma- 
nent background of Christianity. Our age does not 
differ from the past so much in Divine administration, 
as some persons appear to think, but more in human 
discernment. God works just the same, only man has 
fallen into a purblind state, his vision obscured by 
steam engines, telegraphs, and the other material tri- 
umphs of civilization. But rest: assured, God has not 
abdicated his throne in the interests of progress, nor 
have his watchcare and interposition been superseded 
by the increasing intelligence of humanity. Though 
the eyes of many individuals may be blinded by the 
smoke of our industries, God is still present in the 
movements of history and in the events of ordinary 
life. Sometimes even believers are doubtful regarding 
the immediateness of his providential oversight; but 
even they ought to be startled out of this skepticism 
by the manifest and manifold tokens of the Divine 
presence and power in the progress of foreign missions. 
By these signs he thrusts himself on the attention of 
the church, and gives evidence that he guided the move- 
ments of a Wiberg, an Onken, or a McAll as truly as he 
influenced Paul not to preach in Bithynia when he had 
made up his mind to do so, but led him to Troas, and 
afterward across the narrow sea that separates Asia 
from Europe. 

Is there no providence in the fact that the gospel is 


358 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


held in its purity and simplicity by the virile, conquer- 
ing, and colonizing races of Teutonic and Anglo-Saxon 
origin? ‘These people are aggressive. They are rest- 
less and intent on annexing territory and invading dis- 
tant lands. Sometimes for political purposes, but 
oftener for commercial ends, they push their way 
through fierce opposition and plant their flags or 
bazaars in the midst of hostile tribes. The spirit that 
prompts them to urge alien countries to receive their 
merchandise constrains them also to urge the acceptance 
of the religion they profess. They are bound to master 
the world, and to extend their Faith as well as their 
trade to the uttermost ends of the earth. If God had 
desired a special and fit instrument for the evangeliza- 
tion of mankind, he could not have found one better 
suited to the task than this intrusive and dominant 
race, 

Was there no providence in the success of the 
American Revolution, apart from the attainment of 
liberty? Did not that event relieve the English gov- 
ernment of burdensome cares and responsibilities, and 
enable it to concentrate its attention on the develop- 
ment of its Indian empire? And the English in India, 
seeking in that vast land a field for the exercise of energy 
and the extension of national authority, necessarily 
meant the propagation of the kingdom of heaven. 
. “Lord Clive and the Cross of St. George prepared the 
- way for Carey and the Cross of Christ.” True, the 
East India Company at first antagonized the cause of 
missions ; but with the charter of 1813 opening the 
ports of India to the free commerce of England, there 
came the recognition of England’s responsibility for 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 359 


the religious condition of the East, and since 1854 the 
progress of Christianity has been extraordinary. So 
marked has been this advance that Chunder Sen 
admitted that British bayonets were less potent in 
securing Asia to the British throne than the gospel of 
Jesus Christ. Was there no providence in carrying 
the Stundists from Germany to Russia (the Teuton 
again on the move), and this time with an embassy of 
grace to the Slav? In no other way apparently could 
the truth be transplanted to that soil cursed with gor- 
geous formality and superstitious observances. But so 
wonderfully has it flourished there that infamous perse- 
cution is seeking to uproot the sacred tree; and we 
can only pray that as the oak takes deeper root, and 
grows more majestic because of the storm, so the 
truth may become in every sense stronger on account 
of these present trials and tribulations. 

During the century God seems to have been over- 
ruling political complications and wars and rumors of 
wars in the interests of his kingdom. Thus the China 
war, 1843, was the beginning of the end of that ex- 
clusiveness so fatal to the hope of the world’s evangeli- 
zation. And when Commodore Perry sailed into the 
harbor of Yedo with the Bible on the capstan and 
reading aloud the one hundredth Psalm, he, the descen- 
dant of Plymouth Rock settlers, brought to an end the 
old feudalism of Japan, took possession in the name of 
Christ, and introduced the people to the civilization of 
the West. The Crimean war secured from the Sultan 
religious liberty for his subjects; and the Berlin Con- 
gress obtained substantial guarantees for its enforce- 
ment. Also the events which began with the outbreak 


360 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


in various parts of Europe in 1848 have contributed to 
the furtherance of the gospel. They have weakened 
the papacy politically ; they have unified Italy nation- 
ally; they have modified Spain ecclesiastically, and 
they have transformed France socially. But whatever 
the character of the changes, they have all made for the 
realization of Count Cavour’s idea of a “free Church in 
a free State’; and outside of Russia there is hardly a 
spot where evangelical doctrine cannot be proclaimed 
without official molestation. Have all these great move- 
ments fallen out accidentally? Is there no Providence 
unbolting doors and throwing them open wide for the 
incoming of saving truth? Why have not recent con- 
vulsions and revolutions made for the progress of Mo- 
hammedanism or of Buddhism? Strange, is it not, 
that every vicissitude, whether in the commercial or 
political world, should exclusively favor Christianity ? 
A New Testament was picked up by a Japanese gen- 
tleman from the waters of Yedo harbor, and when he 
had read it he gave his heart to Christ and began Pro- 
testantism in Japan. Why was it not A/ Koran that 
had been cast like bread on the waters? In Labrador, 
twenty years ago an outcast woman heard that “the 
Son of Man had come to seek and to save that which 
was lost’’; and after nights of agony she abandoned 
her vicious courses, submitted to Jesus, and missions 
began to prosper in Labrador. But no one ever heard 
of a text from the voluminous Sacred Books of the 
East working so mightily for the moral renovation of 
an entire population. There must be some reason why 
secular changes combine to promote and extend Chris- 
tianity and leave the interest of other systems severely 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 361 


alone; and why trivial incidents, like the recovery of 
a lost Testament near Yedo and the repeating of a 
familiar passage, should influence radically and _ po- 
tently while entire heathen literatures are apparently in- 
effective and sterile. The reason has repeatedly been 
suggested in this argument. It is the reason that ac- 
counts for Christianity itself, and apart from which its 
every phenomenon is veiled in thick and impenetra- 
ble darkness. 

And we ought to be more than ever convinced 
of the soundness of this elucidation by the repeated 
marks of providential guidance in the lives of men 
who have led in these missionary invasions. John 
Newton was converted on the western coast of Africa, 
not only in a heathen latitude, but while engaged 
in the slave trade. Through his labors Scott, the 
famous commentator, was saved, and from the lips 
of Scott, or from his writings, Carey received the truth; 
and subsequently from the reading of Captain Cook’s 
voyages, the proto-missionary of our age was inflamed 
with zeal for the redemption of the unhappy races 
therein portrayed. The sudden indisposition of Simeon 
at Dunkeld, in 1796, which kept him housed for a day 
and resulted in his visiting Moulin, where he was instru- 
mental in quickening the religious life of Rev. Mr. 
Stewart, through whom the parents of Alexander Duff 
received the truth, was in itself the remote cause of 
that eminent man’s conversion as the chance reading 
of Sir David Brewster’s article on India, in the “ Edin- 
burgh Encyclopedia,’ had much to do in determining 
him to take up the mantle of the dead Urquhart and go 


as a missionary to the Hindus. Thus strangely does 
2F 


362 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


God work when raising up messengers and preachers 
of the truth. 

But not only in calling to the work, but in him- 
self ordering the work does he reveal the supremacy 
of his providence. Had Carey on his arrival in 
India been permitted by the English authorities to 
settle in Calcutta, instead of compelling him to make 
his home at Serampore, it is questionable whether he 
would have found time to perfect his scholarship and 
prepare the versions of Scripture which have proven so 
great a boon to India. I for one cannot believe that 
God had nothing to do with disappointments that ended 
so happily. Is not his agency equally apparent in the 
career of Judson? Our American missionary desired to 
be associated with Carey, Ward, and Marshman. But his 
wishes were not to be gratified. Denied a residence 
even at Madras, he was carried in a hospitable vessel 
to Rangoon, Burma’s port of entry, and there he had 
to begin his self-denying labors or labor not at all. 
David Livingstone was likewise thwarted in his plans. 
His heart was set on China as a field for consecrated 
endeavor; but events he could not control, the events 
of war, closed the celestial empire to him and inclined 
him toward Africa, where as a result of his heroic ser- 
vices missionary expeditions dot the shores of Lakes 
Nyassa and Tanganyika, and are rapidly convincing the 
world “that the civilization and utilization of Africa is 
the great enterprise of the future.” But I should be 
obliged to rewrite the entire history of modern missions 
to give an adequate conception of their providential fea- 
tures. They are certainly as clear and as easily recog- 
nizable as they were in the earlier conquest of pagan 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 363 


creeds. On every side they appear, and in our times 
as in the past the supernatural is manifestly active, and 
thus supplies a continuous witness to the divine origin 
of Christianity. 

3. The glorious successes of the invasion remain to 
confirm our faith and gladden our hearts. Christianity 
has not only advanced far into heathendom, but it has 
entrenched itself, and it is not likely that it will ever 
retreat. From the latest reports I gather the following 
statistics regarding the army of occupation. There are 
now more than five thousand Protestant male mission- 
aries on the various fields, over four thousand female 
missionaries, and allied with them upward of fifty 
thousand native workers. The number of communi- 
cant members, that is, of actual professors, must this 
year exceed a million souls, and the total amount of 
contributions to the needs of this host was fixed last 
year (for 1892) at $14,588,354. and must during 
the last twelve months have passed the fifteen 
million dollar limit. Dr. Pierson has said that the 
ratio. of increase all over heathen lands has _ been 
thirty-five fold since 1800. I ought to add that 
the Christian population of these lands, in dis- 
tinction from actually enrolled members has been 
set at one million eight hundred thousand. In 1849, 
there were only one hundred and fifty-nine thousand 
three hundred and forty-two members of churches; in 
1892 there were eight hundred and ninety-three thou- 
sand three hundred and fifteen. 

It is a good way to estimate the extent of 
this growth by observing the increasing demand 
for the Holy Scriptures in benighted countries. Is- 


264 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


sues have advanced in Lahore from one thousand 
two hundred sixty-eight in 1871 to forty-seven thou- 
sand three hundred and three in 1891. From Al- 
lahabad we learn that the circulation during the 
year was ninety-three thousand one hundred and 
ninety-nine copies, thirty-four thousand nine hundred 
and eighty-six more than the previous year. In Cal- 
cutta the circulation reached one hundred and sixteen 
thousand; in Bombay, sixty thousand eight hundred and 
seventy-six; in Bangalore, fifteen thousand two hun- 
dred and seventy-nine ; and in Madras, one hundred and 
seventy-four thousand five hundred and sixty-four. The 
British and Foreign Bible Society in its current Report 
gives its total issues at one hundred and thirty-one mil- 
lion eight hundred and fourteen thousand seven hundred 
and ninety-six, and that of other kindred organizations at 
eighty million eight hundred and eighty-nine thousand 
two hundred and one. Here then we have more than two 
hundred and twelve million copies of God's word sent 
out annually over all the world, a large portion going to 
the front, where soldiers of the cross are in direct and 
fierce conflict with heathen peoples. No statistics can 
adequately formulate the influence of this widely dis- 
seminated volume on the dark places of the earth. 
Wherever it goes it gives light, the light of the glory 
of God in the face of Christ Jesus, and affords us 
grounds for the largest hope that in a little while all 
the nations will receive him to be their Saviour-King. 
Not alone, however, must the success of this invasion 
be judged by these figures, but by its acknowledged 
philanthropic and humanizing effects. It has reduced 
the speech of savages to written languages, has trans- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 365 


lated the Bible into almost every spoken tongue, and 
thus has opened the way for the intellectual develop- 
ment of races that have been stagnant for ages. More- 
over, it has been the direct cause of emancipation to 
millions of slaves; has proclaimed the equality of man- 
kind; it has forever quenched the Suttee fires which 
for centuries disgraced India; it has suppressed infan- 
ticide, measurably overcome polygamy, rung the knell 
of caste, and has civilized such people as the Fijians, 
Tahitians, and the inhabitants of Madagascar and the 
Sandwich Islands. Sir Bartle Frere, when governor 
of Bombay, wrote regarding the beneficent influence of 
missionaries : 


I speak simply as to matter of experience and observation, 
and not of opinion, just asa Roman prefect might have reported 
to Trajan or the Antonines ; and I assure you that whatever you 
may be told to the contrary, the teachings of Christianity among 
a hundred and sixty millions of civilized, industrious Hindus and 
Mohammedans in India are effecting changes, moral, social, and 
political, which for extent and rapidity of effect are far more ex- 
traordinary than anything you or your fathers have witnessed in 
modern Europe. 


A comment on this testimony is furnished by a prom- 
inent missionary in the following account, quoted from 
the pages of Dr. Clifford’s interesting book on “ Inspi- 
ration”: 


I would that I could take you to a little village near my sta- 
tion, where they had embraced Christianity in a body but eight 
months before, and where the high priest of the temple near by 
came secretly to me in my tent, and asked: ‘Sir, will you 
please impart to me the secret? Whatis it that makes that Bible 
of yours have such power over the lives of those that embrace it ? 


366 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Now it is but eight months since the people joined you. Before 
that they were quarrelsome ; they were riotous ; they were lazy; 
they were shiftless ; and now see what a difference there is in 
them! Now they are active, energetic, laborious ; they never 
drink ; they never quarrel. Why, sir, I joined in the persecu- 
tion when they became Christians, and tried to stamp out Chris- 
tianity before it gained a foothold here ; but they stood firm, and 
now in all the region round about here, the people all respect 
and honor them. What is it that makes the Bible have such a 
power over the lives of those who profess it? Our Vedas have 
no such power. Please, sir, give me the secret.”’ 


And in sad, sharp, contrast with these beneficent 
changes wrought by the gospel, and as illustrative of 
the declaration that the Vedas “have no such power,” 
we may profitably meditate on the picture drawn by 
Mr. Moncure D. Conway. Mr. Conway is not favor- 
ably disposed toward Christianity, but after visiting 
India he wrote as follows: 


On my book-shelves you will find copies of all the sacred 
books of the East, over which I have pored and exulted for years. 
The noble aspirations of those ancient writers, the glowing 
poetry of the Vedas, the sublime imagery of their seers, have 
become part of my life. But when I went to the great cities of 
India, the pilgrim sites to which throng every year millions of 
those who profess to follow the faith of the men who wrote those 
books, and mingled with the vast procession of worshipers at 
the shrines sacred to the deities whose praises are sung by the 
Hindu poets, then alas, the contrast between the real and the 
ideal was heart-breaking! In all those teeming myriads of wor- 
shipers not one man, not even one woman, seemed to entertain 
the shadow of a conception of anything moral or spiritual or re- 
ligious, or even mythological, in their ancient creed. Not one 
glimmer of the great thoughts of their poets and sages lightened 
their darkened temples. To all of them the great false god 
which they worshiped, a hulk of roughly carved wood or stone, 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 367 


appeared to be the authentic presentment of some terrible demon 
or invisible power who would treat them cruelly if they did not 
give him some melted butter. Of religion in a spiritual sense 
there is none. If you wish for religion you will not find it in 
Brahminism. 


Such then is the difference. It is painfully distinct 
and sadly sharp. Place Mr. Conway’s report by the 
side of Sir Bartle Frere’s, and at a glance one can 
readily perceive not only the contrast between heathen- 
ism and Christianity, but the need and the greatness 
of the successes attained by the latter over the former. 
And it is a pathetic fact in this connection, that native 
converts in idol-afflicted lands appreciate so highly 
the blessing that has come to them in Christ, and real- 
ize so fully the horrible condition in which their 
countrymen are plunged, that out of their deep poverty 
they are themselves subscribing annually at the rate of 
three hundred and thirty-nine thousand dollars for the 
spread of the gospel. 

In answer to these representations it may be said 
that modern Mohammedanism is just as aggressive 
and conquering as Christianity. Even in the United 
States it has gained some apologists, and some of its 
adherents claim that it has hopes of obtaining a perma- 
nent footing here. But such expectations are illusive, 
as illusive as the favorable expositions given in a few 
of our eccentric journals are misleading. Writers who 
affect extreme liberality forget, if they ever knew, that 
an authority has said of the system: “It has conse- 
crated slavery, it has consecrated polygamy, it has con- 
secrated despotism.” While we may concede bravery, 
temperance, and some other virtues to the followers of 


368 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the Arabian prophet, this trinity of iniquities must ever 
bar the progress of their religion in America, and grad- 
ually paralyze its influence wherever Western ideas re- 
garding human freedom, woman's rights, and constitu- 
tional government begin to prevail. It has no future 
here or elsewhere. Its glories, such as they are, be- 
long to the past; the future has no field for its 
triumphs. The supposition that it has of late been 
achieving remarkable successes in China is pure fancy. 
Mohammedanism, it is claimed, has some two hundred 
million adherents; and undoubtedly in the days of its 
vigor it crushed Buddhism in the land of its birth and 
thrust it out to China, Ceylon, and Burma. But the 
imagination that pictures it to-day as acquiring new con- 
quests in the flowery empire is utterly without foundation. 
Mr. C. F. Hogg, of England, an authority on such mat- 
ters, from personal explorations flatly denies the assump- 
tion, and in the “ Christian Commonwealth” (London), 
the results of his inquiries are thus summarized : 


It is not the case that the five millions of Chinese Moham- 
medans are converts of a recent date, as is generally assumed. 
About the year 629 A. D., in consequence of a remarkable dream, 
the T’ang Dynasty Emperor, Chen Kuan, despatched an embassy 
to the West in search of a newly arisen sage. In response, 
Mohammed sent some three thousand soldiers to the celestial 
empire that they might instruct the heathen in the true faith. 
These soldiers remained in China, were provided with wives by 
the emperor, and their descendants are the Chinese Mussulmans 
of to-day. But they do not assume a conciliatory attitude to- 
wards their heathen neighbors. Far from seeking their conver- 
sion they hold the idolaters in supreme contempt. The Chinese, 
in turn, both hate and dread them. This reveals the truth of 
the whole matter. While Christians are making converts in 
China in numbers, Mohammedans are not gaining one. They 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 369 


are a distinct race, descended from the very ancient importation 
sent for by Chen Kuan. 


It has also been suggested by way of depreciation 
that the cost of this invasion, both in men and treasure, 
has been far greater than the compensations and ad- 
vantages gained. That is, the price outweighs the 
product. Every one must settle this economical ques- 
tion for himself ; but to my way of thinking, the wonder 
is, not that the invasion of heathen lands has cost so 
much but that it should have cost so little. Still I am 
amazed, as an eminent speaker was during the London 
Conference of 1878, that so much should have been 
accomplished by a handful of missionaries, and like him 
am impelled to quote the lines of Tennyson, descriptive 
of the soldiers at the siege of Lucknow: 


Ever the work of fifty 
To be done by only five— 
Ever the work of hundreds 
To be done by only two. 


Then as for money, what are fifteen or twenty millions 
in comparison with the many hundreds of millions 
squandered annually in England and America on intoxi- 
cating drinks? Our own citizens spend far more than 
fifteen millions on theatres, balls, concerts, and various 
athletic sports. The entire Protestant world gives to a 
serious cause just about as much, or less, than one por- 
tion of its membership lavishes on the passing follies 
of life. Every year five hundred thousand able-bodied 
men are enlisted on behalf of the rum interest to mul- 
tiply vice and increase misery, while we find it difficult 
to reinforce our inadequate battalions at the front with 


370 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


a score or two of recruits. Strange! Is vice then so 
much more attractive than virtue even to Christians ? 
Are the devotees of the world so much more in earnest 
than the worshipers of God? It is said, “that since 
1850 Christian nations have lost in war two million two 
hundred and fifty thousand lives, and seven European 
wars during the same period must have cost one billion 
six hundred and sixty-eight million pounds.” Multiply 
this figure by five to get the equivalent in dollars, and 
add to it the hundreds of millions spent in a sectional 
contest in America, and then an idea may be gained 
of the meagre, paltry, and parsimonious sums that are 
consecrated, rather, let me say, begrudged, to the world’s 
evangelization. Then as for the sacrifice of life, re- 
member that every vocation has its martyrs. Each 
year furnishes a list of physicians who succumb to dis- 
eases they are seeking to conquer. Soldiers perish on 
the field of battle; sailors go down into the dark 
waters ; and the poor miner, pursuing his dangerous task 
for the advantage of civilization, in a moment disap- 
pears, choked to unsightly death by foul gases. Every 
one with a human heart laments these losses; but we 
do not find in them a warrant for the denunciation of 
science orcommerce. These evils are part of the present 
order of things. We may abate them; but they cannot 
be abrogated. In every pursuit, life must at some time 
be sacrificed ; but if the end is worthy, the sacrifice is 
neither meaningless nor profitless. No man falls at his 
post in vain. His death may be more fruitful in good 
than his life. If in any cause, surely this must be so 
pre-eminently when a man suffers and dies that the 
Christian religion may be promoted and extended. In 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 37! 


such instances the martyr loses nothing and gains ail; 
and through it the world at large is the gainer too; for 
each heroic sacrifice in defense of the Cross is only 
another evidence of its supernatural origin and a fresh 
inspiration to faith and faithfulness. 

Here then I rest the Argument from Achievement. 
Its value I believe is twofold. It not only shows how 
religion has been witnessing to its heavenly character 
in all ages, but how, if it is still to command the con- 
fidence of mankind, it must witness to itself in the 
future. Other evidences are of the greatest interest 
and cannot be dispensed with; but the proof that rests 
on what has been done and on what is doing appeals 
to every grade of intellect and is of transcendent 
importance. That is what I call the present apologetic ; 
and its peculiarity is, apart from its eminent practical- 
ness, that it continues to renew itself each day by fresh 
successes. Were Christianity to cease accomplish- 
ing she would decline and perish; and no learned 
defenses of her exalted claims would preserve her 
from contempt. It is consequently imperative that the 
church keep right on constructing and strengthening 
by deeds the Argument from Achievement. 

In the Art Gallery at the Columbian Exposition my 
attention was arrested by a famous Norwegian picture. 
It represents an Arctic explorer and a group of fellow- 
adventurers. The party evidently had traversed weary 
miles of ice-fields and had at last reached the point of 
sheer exhaustion and despair. A broken sled, a few 
half-famished dogs, with two or three figures of men, 
whose garments, attitude, and the very expression on 
their face betoken the sufferings through which they 


372 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


had passed, make up the foreground of the painting. 
But farther back, though quite unobserved by the dis- 
couraged company, rolls the open sea, the object of all 
their painful endeavor and persistent fortitude, and on 
a promontory stands the form of the heroic leader, with 
decision marking gesture and countenance; and point- 
ing to the gleaming waters, he is supposed to be ex- 
claiming: “No retreat!” As these Arctic voyagers, 
according to the painter’s fancy, could not go back, but 
must advance, so Christianity is shut up to the inevit- 
able. She must go forward. Retreat is cut off. If 
she should become stationary she must perish. And 
never was the way so open and so clear of obstructions 
as at the present hour. The world has a right to 
expect great things of her and she has a right to 
expect great results in return. She will be judged by 
her skeptical critics according to the opportunities she 
enjoys and the enlightened efficiency wherewith she 
improves them. 

Astronomers tell us that in the constellation of Her- 
cules there is a small, dull speck which looks like a star. 
It has something of the appearance of a dead world, 
and yet a telescope of sufficient power reveals one of 
the most startling and beautiful effects ever witnessed. 
The faint, opaque orb breaks open into a sphere, like a 
cluster of suns, and from center to circumference a vast 
space is enclosed, while the mighty suns that make that 
sphere number fourteen thousand, and have a diameter 
of forty-five thousand millions of miles. There are emi- 
nently pious pessimists in the church who contemplate 
the earth in which they dwell as this unpromising and 
unsightly star in the constellation of Hercules. It is to 


THE ARGUMENT FROM ACHIEVEMENT 373 


them a forbidding object, incapable of renewal and 
redemption. They do not believe mankind will ever be 
much better than at present, and they hesitate to com- 
mit themselves to any extreme measures for the conver- 
sion of the nations, lest haply they should be found 
to be fighting against God. Such impressions are fatal 
to progress. Logically adhered to and the Christian 
hosts would be paralyzed by the futility of all their 
hopes and plans; and with their disheartenment would 
come discomfiture. The world would no longer bestow 
any attention on the claims of a religion that confessed 
its impotence to grapple with the evils of society and 
the sins of the heart; and in a little while it would 
cease to exert any appreciable influence on human 
affairs. A simple look through the telescope of faith 
will, I am sure, dissipate these dolorous views. As 
we draw the future near, guided by God’s truth, we 
behold this poor earth of ours, now so apparently dead 
and dreary, bursting into the resplendent glory of the 
latter day, when the kingdoms of this world shall be- 
come the kingdoms of our God and his Christ. But 
while this is our expectation, if it is ever to be realized 
we must not only hope, we must labor. Not merely, 
however, for the sake of proving Christianity divine 
ought we to be busy in works of beneficence, but for 
the sake of humanity, whose burdens and torturing per- 
plexities are overmasteringly great, ought we to go forth 
unceasingly with the gospel of grace and glory. 


Great is the need, brothers, where in the gloom 
Thousands have gathered this day to the tomb 
Knowing not Jesus, not even his name, 
Hearing not how as their Saviour he came! 


374 


THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Great is the need too, of those who by birth 
Enter the unillumed darkness of earth. 

Dare we from such such great treasures withhold ? 
Then count it crime to rob rich ones of gold. 
Shall we to baser self-seeking enticed 

Keep from earth’s poorest the riches of Christ ? 
Answer thy heart with a swift-spoken ‘‘ Novas: 
Heed then thy Saviour! Rise, brother, and go. 


IX 
THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 


Waren Julian the Apostate acknowledges with 
), admiration the love and purity of the early 
Christians, and in his last moments on earth exclaims, 
“ Vicistt Galilee!” and when Lucian the Satirist 
declares that “it is marvelous how these men rush to 
one another in misfortune”; and when Galenus the 
Physician writes: “Most of them are not in a condi- 
tion to philosophize, but they live like philosophers ”’ ; 
and when other eminent pagans exclaim: “See how 
these Christians love each other!” and «How ready 
they are to die for one another!” it is natural that 
considerable importance should be attached to their 
testimony. Some one has said, “Praise from our 
enemies is praise indeed”; and tributes such as these, 
from men who were hostile to the religion of our Lord, 
witness to the presence of a power in the earth transcend- 
ing every other force that had been experienced in the 
history of mankind. Their authors evidently realized 
that they confronted a phenomenon wholly inexplicable 
to their wisdom, whose account of itself they would 
not for a moment entertain, and yet whose action on 
humanity in support of its supernatural claims they 
were compelled to admit. A man’s influence, which is 
purely involuntary, is always a better criterion of char- 
acter than his conduct ; and his unguarded statements, 
375 


376 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


his unpurposed declarations, and his unsuspecting 
admissions expressed when not engaged in controversy, 
are more likely to indicate in what direction lies the 
eternal truth of God, than his formal and elaborate 
advocacy of propositions, often prompted by passion 
and colored by prejudice. But it is not necessary for 
the authors of such concessions to be open and unre- 
lenting enemies of religion. Their words may carry 
with them similar convincing energy if they only are 
not personally pledged to Christianity ; and if, while 
they are not determined assailants, they are in a state 
of critical doubt as to its highest assumptions. 

There are men whose mental pursuits and habits of 
thought, whose special vocations and ordinary associ- 
ations are rather inimical than otherwise to sympathetic 
appreciation of Bible teaching ; men who are not at all 
interested in spiritual things, who are committed to 
callings, professional and intellectual, usually regarded 
as averse to religious inquiry, and who by their studies 
in other fields have been rendered exacting, captious, 
and querulous on entering the domain of faith; and 
when men such as these, against the bias of their 
minds and theories, and against the natural trend of 
their environment and occupation, testify directly or by 
implication to the soundness of principles underlying 
Christianity, to the unapproached excellence of its 
institutions, and to the sustaining and comforting grace 
of its promises, it may be accepted as przma facie proof 
that Christianity being so eminently worthy must be 
pre-eminently true. When independently of Bibles 
and churches laws are defined, needs are expounded, 
and fundamental beliefs are formulated which corres- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 377 


pond substantially with what these two authorities are 
constantly announcing, there surely ought to be no 
hesitancy in trusting them farther and finally. If in 
so many respects they are entitled to confidence, why 
not in others? why not in all? And if individuals, 
more or less indifferent to religious investigation, 
whose attention also is more or less absorbed in other 
themes, coincide with doctrines, concur in precepts, 
and accord with aspirations that are distinctively 
Christian, though they may not be aware of the fact, 
or may hesitate to acknowledge it, are we not war- 
ranted in following their admissions to their logical 
conclusion? Unquestionably we are; emphatically we 
ought. And in doing so there will be fashioned what 
we have termed, and the essential nature of which we 
have anticipated in these preliminary observations, 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION. 


First. Lhe concessions of scientists. These perhaps 
are entitled to precedence owing to the importance 
attached to physical researches in our times. And at 
the outset it may be well to hear from Prof. N. H. 
Winchell, whose assuring words would certainly be 
approved by Sir William Dawson: 


There is no necessary interference between science and 
revealed religion. The literal interpretation of the Mosaic 
account of creation has been modified, yet the developments of 
geology confirm the essential correctness of Moses. The great 
body of scientists are neither infidels nor atheists. Religion 
itself is only a phase of science, involving a study of the attri- 
butes of man. No one can disbelieve that man has a religious 
element, and if a scientist disregards this he ignores one of the 
facts of human existence.—Christian Thought, December, 1884. 


378 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Professor Silliman, of Yale, at an earlier date put on 
record a similar view : 


The relation of geology, as well as astronomy, to the Bible, 
when both are well understood, is that of perfect harmony. 
The word and the works of God cannot be in conflict ; and the 
more they are studied, the more perfect will their harmony 
appear. 


A contrary impression is at once made by Darwin. 
But before following him it may be well to recall what 
Thomas Carlyle the critic says of him and his theory : 
« So-called literary and scientific classes in England,” 
he wrote in 1876, “now proudly give themselves to 
protoplasm, origin of species, and the like, to prove 
that God did not build the universe. I have known 
three generations of the Darwins—grandfather, father, 
and son—atheists all.’’ It would seem from this state- 
ment that the eminent author of “The Origin of 
Species ” had inherited an unhappy bias against theism. 
And yet it is not to be forgotten that near the close of 
that now famous treatise a passage occurs in which it 
is claimed that his peculiar hypothesis is seen to be com- 
patible with belief in the Divine existence: ‘There 
is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several 
powers having been originally breathed by the Creator 
into a few forms or into one; and that, while this 
planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law 
of gravity from so simple a beginning, endless forms, 
most beautiful and most wonderful, have been and are 
being evolved.” The late Prof. Tyndall, likewise, 
was not disposed to follow materialism to its legitimate 
theological conclusion ; and Dr. Carpenter undoubtedly 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 379 


expresses the sober second thought of the highest 
class of physicists in the statement “that science 
affects only the order of nature, and that all questions 
concerning the initiation of that order must be re- 
manded to religion.” Referring again to Darwin, in 
his “Life and Letters,” as edited by his son, we gain 
glimpses of his mental habits. In one place he tells us 
that his mind is so fixed by the inductive method that 
he cannot appreciate deductive reasoning; and in 
another, when writing to Graham, he declares his “ in- 
ward conviction”’ that the universe is not the “result 
of chance”; but then sorrowfully adds, “the horrid 
doubt always arises whether the convictions of man’s 
mind, which has been developed from the mind of the 
lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy.” 
The accompanying extract from the same source cover- 
ing this point is of singular interest, and may be profit- 
ably pondered : 


Another sort of conviction in the existence of God, connected 
with the reason and not with the feelings, impresses me as hav- 
ing much more weight. This follows from the extreme difficulty, 
or rather impossibility, of conceiving this immense and wonder- 
ful universe, including man, with his wonderful capacity of look- 
ing far backward and far into futurity, as the result of blind 
chance or necessity. When thus reflecting I feel compelled to 
look to a First Cause, having an intelligent mind in some degree 
analogous to man; and I deserve to be called atheist. This 
conclusion was strong in my mind about the time, as far as I 
can remember, when I wrote the ‘‘ Origin of Species’’ ; and it 
is since that time that it has very gradually, and with many 
fluctuations, become weaker. But then arises the doubt, can 
the mind of man, which has, as I fully believe, been developed 
from a mind as low as that possessed by the lowest animals, be 
trusted when it draws such grand conclusions ? 


380 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


This is indeed a very serious question, and one that 
may well cause the enthusiastic evolutionist to pause. 
But can he trust the processes of an organ inherited 
from the brutes even in the domain of scientific inves- 
tigation? If it has proceeded from such a source, and 
has in it all the wild, mad animalism of untold gener- 
ations, may not its deductions and hypotheses be as 
unreliable as the chattering of magpies and the twitter- 
ing of swallows? Mr. Darwin was justified in his sus- 
picion of such a mind as he pictured; only to be con- 
sistent he ought to have carried his skepticism farther. 
For if little confidence can be reposed in its testimony 
on religious themes, no sufficient reason can be shown 
why it should be worthy of credit when dealing with 
any other. The instrument itself being radically wrong, 
it will be impossible to evoke from it undiscordant har- 
mony. If mind proceeded from the Almighty, then, 
Mr. Darwin himself being judge, we may accept as true 
“its grand conclusion” regarding the theistic origin of 
the universe ; but if it proceeded from the animal world, 
of what account are any of its discoveries and philoso- 
phies? We have here really two concessions of the 
greatest significance: 1. That reason testifies to the 
Divine existence. 2. That the reasoning of a God- 
given mind can be trusted. 

Professor Huxley has shared with Darwin the odium 
of assailing Christianity in the name of science, and 
undoubtedly he has valiantly maintained his own views 
against all adversaries. But even so doughty a cham- 
pion as he is has not failed to make some edifying 
admissions. In his “Collected Essays,” * he denies 


1Vol. V., Intro. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 381 


the charge of “hatred of Christianity” which has 
been brought against him, and explains that his at- 
titude toward religion was determined by the domi- 
nant ecclesiasticism prevalent in his youth which placed 
a fence in the way of science with a notice-board 
marked — “No Thoroughfare; by order of Moses.” 
He acknowledges that that restriction has been taken 
down; but says that he cannot accept the New Testa- 
ment because it recognizes demonology as true. Ina 
closing paragraph, however, he confesses “that the 
problem of the origin of such very remarkable historical 
phenomena as the doctrines and the social organization, 
which in their broad features existed and were in a 
state of rapid development within a hundred years of 
the crucifixion of Jesus, and which have steadily pre- 
vailed against all rivals among the most intelligent and 
civilized nations in the world ever since, is and always 
has been profoundly interesting.” He believes that 
the problem is in a fair way to be solved, and that in 
the circumstances “refusal to assent” is the only 
way open to him. It is to be marked that his position 
is very different from that of some infidels on both sides 
of the Atlantic, who treat Christianity as a very shallow 
thing indeed, and as easily accounted for by brains 
whose calibre is no greater than that of their own. 
Mr. Huxley realizes that it cannot fairly be dealt with 
in any such flippant and off-handed manner, and con- 
founds all such triflers with the following startling con- 
cession : | 

The doctrines of predestination, of original sin, of the innate 


depravity of man, and the evil fate of the greater part of the 
race, of the primacy of Satan in thisworld . . . faulty as they 


382 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


are, appear to me to be vastly nearer the truth than the 
‘‘liberal’’ popular illusions that babies are all born good, and 
that the example of a corrupt society is responsible for their fail- 
ure to remain so; that it is given to everybody to reach the 
ethical ideal if he will only try ; that all partial evil is universal 
good, and other optimistic figments, such as that which repre- 
-sents Providence under the guise of a paternal philanthropist. 


It is well known that in his « Lay Sermons,” Pro- 
fessor Huxley condemned the materialistic position 
“that there is nothing in the world but matter, force, 
and necessity,’ as being “as utterly devoid of justifica- 
tion as the most baseless of theological dogmas.” But 
the fact may not be so familiar that he has borne tes- 
timony to the value of the Bible in these words: 


I have always been strongly in favor of secular education in 
the sense of education without theology ; but I must confess that 
I have been no less seriously perplexed to know by what prac- 
tical measures the religious feeling, which is the essential basis 
of conduct, is to be kept up in the present utterly chaotic state 
of opinion on these matters, without the use of the Bible. 


I sympathize with his perplexity. But may it not 
arise from his way of looking at the difficulties which 
confront us, and not from any insurmountable obstacle 
in the way of their removal. If it is true, as the pro- 
fessor concedes, that there is something more than 
matter in the universe—that is, God and Spirit ; and 
if there is such a thing as genuine religious feeling 
necessary to moral actions; and if such feeling, insep- 
arable from right doing, is generated by the Bible, as 
he candidly allows; and if that Bible is the text-book 
of Christianity, a religion that has maintained its ex- 
alted claims in the presence of the most refined and 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 383 


acute civilizations, as he most distinctly acknowledges ; 
and if its theological conceptions are grander and 
worthier of respect and confidence than the dogmatic 
whim-whams of modern rationalism, is it not more than 
likely that this same Christianity is from God, and that 
in the recognition and application of this sublime fact 
the highest education and truest welfare of the race 
will assuredly be realized ? 

Other concessions deserve to be noted, some of them 
very decisive, others of them sad enough, but all of 
them showing the need of a religion identical in spirit 
with what our Lord taught to meet intellectual difficul- 
ties and to satisfy heart yearnings. Professor Tyndall, 
in his lecture on “Crystalline and Molecular Forces,” 
indulges in these eloquent observations : 


And if you will allow me a moment’s diversion, I would say 
that I have stood in the springtime and looked upon the sprout- 
ing foliage, the grass, and the flowers, and the general joy of 
opening life. Andin my ignorance of it all I have asked my- 
self whether there is no power, being, or thing in the universe 
whose knowledge of that of which I am so ignorant is greater. 
than mine. I have asked myself, can it be possible that man’s 
knowledge is the greatest knowledge—that man’s life is the 
highest life? My friends, the profession of that atheism with 
which I am sometimes so lightly charged would, in my case, be 
an impossible answer to this question. 


Professor Pritchard, likewise, in a remarkable paper 
read at Brighton, 1874, argues for a Supreme Intelli- 
gence, and eloquently shows the insufficiency of evolu- 
tion. His words are: 


From what I know through my own specialty, both from 
geometry and experiment, of the structure of the lenses of the 


384 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


human eye, I do not believe that any amount of evolution ex- 
tending through any amount of time, could have issued in the 
production of that beautiful and complicated instrument, the 
human eye. 


And then, farther on, summing up the weakness of 
this theory he says that it presupposes 


Affections with no sufficient motive to fill them, hopes of im- 
mortality never to be realized, aspirations after God and godli- 
ness never to be attained; and thus too, myriads of myriads of 
other nebulz may still be the potentials of delusions, and their 
outcome the kingdom of despair. 


On his deathbed, Professor Clifford of England, 
while in no wise, as I understand it, recanting his un- 
belief, in these pathetic words describes the desolation 
that comes to the soul when it puts away faith in God 
and eternal life, a desolation that is itself an argument 
in support of what has been rejected, as hunger is of 
the absolute indispensableness of food : 


It cannot be doubted that the theistic belief is a comfort and 
solace to those who hold it, and that the loss of it is a very pain- 
ful loss. It cannot be doubted, at least by many of us in this 
generation who have received it in our childhood, and have 
parted from it since with such searching troubles as only cradle- 
faiths can cause. We fave seen the spring sun shine out of an 
empty heaven to light up a soulless earth; we have felt with 
utter loneliness that the Great Companion is dead. 


But may it not be that there is something radically 
wrong in the interpretations of nature that call for so 
unreasonable a sacrifice? And is not such a wail and 
plaint as the one we have heard from Professor Clifford 
a concession as to the need and value of Christianity ? 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 385 


But however these questions may be answered, one 
thing is evident, many notable scientists have not dis- 
cerned any “irrepressible conflict’ between their voca- 
tion and the religion of their childhood. They have 
continued to the end both scientist and Christian. 
General Mitchell, “the devout astronomer,” pays une- 
quivocal homage to the heavenly authority and incom- 
parable influence of the Bible; Lieutenant Maury does 
the same, and says were he to be silent “the waves of 
the sea would lift up their voice and the very stones of 
the earth cry out against me” ; Hugh Miller recognizes 
“The Footsteps of the Creator” in all the diversified 
strata and fossil fauna and flora that make up the crust 
of this restless zlobe; Asa Gray, in the name of botany, 
declares that physical researches do not make for be- 
lief in the omnipotence of matter but for the omnipo- 
tence of spirit ; Dana finds an argument for immortality 
in man’s present environment; Morse, evidence of in- 
spiration in the manner his own mind was impelled 
toward the thought of the telegraph; and others, like 
Agassiz at Penikese, discern an invitation to prayer in the 
solemnizing and subduing influences of nature. The 
example of these masters in their special departments 
ought to deter novices from wild statements regarding 
the alleged inveterate antagonism between religion and 
science ; and taken in conjunction with the admissions 
we have considered, ought to create the impression that 
science itself is furnishing positive, though at times 
unwilling witness to the truth of Christianity. 
SECONDLY. The Concessions of Philosophers.  Ed- 
mond Scherer, more of a literary man and critic than 
a philosopher, may fittingly introduce this class of 


386 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


testimonies, as in unfolding a philosophy of human 
progress he shows the invariable return of mankind, 
after recurring departures, to faith. He says the world 
begins with religion, then follows philosophy, and phi- 
losophy ends by denying God and human liberty. Then 
he inquires : 


When it has no other God than the universe, no other man 
than the chief of the mammalia, what is it but a mere system 
of zoology? Zoology constitutes the whole science of the epoch 
of the Materialists, and to speak plainly, that is our position at 
the present time. But materialism can never be the be-all and 
the end-all of the human race. Corrupt and enervated society 
is passing through immense catastrophes, is falling in ruins ; 

. in the bloody furrows germinate new races; the soul in 
the agony of its distress believes once more ; it resumes its faith 
in virtue, it finds again the language of prayer. To the age of 
the Renaissance succeeded that of the Reformation; to the 
Germany of Frederick the Great, the Germany of 1812. So 
faith springs up for ever and ever out of its ashes.— Quoted by 
Gutzot, Meditations on Christianity, pp. 122, 123. 


This view of the constant return of the tides of 
thought and feeling to the shores of the eternal is not 
an idle fancy. It finds confirmation in the works of 
such thinkers as Hegel and Cousin, and can easily be 
verified by any earnest student of history for himself. 
Indeed, the personal experiences of some philosophers 
afford a most instructive parallel to the process. Thus 
Kant, after destroying the foundations for belief in the 
Divine Existence in his “Critique of Pure Reason,” 
restores them in his “Critique of Practical Reason” ; 
and thus Joseph Schelling and Fichte, after losing 
themselves and their hapless followers in the impene- 


trable mists of pantheism, before they die cry out for 
2H 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 387 


a more substantial faith; and thus Hegard, teacher of 
philosophy in the Copenhagen University, after earnest 
advocacy of atheism, takes it all back. He writes: 


The experiences of life, its sufferings and griefs, have shaken 
my soul, and have broken the foundation upon which I formerly 
thought I could build. Fullof faith in the sufficiency of science, 
I thought to have found in it a sure refuge from all the contin- 
gencies of life. This illusion is vanished; when the tempest 
came which plunged me in sorrow, the moorings, the cable of 
science, broke like thread. Then I seized upon that help which 
many before me have laid hold of. I sought and found peace 
in God. Since then I have certainly not abandoned science, 
but I have assigned to it another place in my life.—Semeur 
Vaudots, Intro., 2d Ed. 


Of course I know that Heinrich Heine is not prop- 
erly classed with philosophers ; and yet though pre-emi- 
nently a poet and /¢tévateur, he has written comprehen- 
sively on philosophy as well as religion in Germany, 
and may be permitted to speak in its name: 


Christianity has been a blessing for suffering humanity during 
eighteen centuries ; it has been providential, divine, holy. All 
that it has done in the interest of civilization, curbing the strong 
and strengthening the weak, binding together the nations through 
a common sympathy and a common tongue, and all else that its 
. apologists have urged in its praise—all this is as nothing com- 
pared with the great consolation that it has bestowed on man. 
Eternal praise is due to the symbol of that suffering God, the 
Saviour with the crown of thorns, the crucified Christ, whose 
blood was a healing balm that flowed into the wounds of human- 
ity.—Leligion and Philosophy in Germany, p. 25. 


I may be reminded that there is much in the volume 
where this tribute is found contrary to its spirit. Such 


388 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


may be the case. But I am not trying to reconcile the 
various statements of the authors quoted. That is not 
my affair. My sole business is to show, whether consist- 
ent with themselves or not, that certain prominent indi- 
viduals, whose minds and pursuits seem naturally to 
incline toward an unfavorable estimate of religion, are 
continually, and in unexpected ways, bearing testimony 
on its behalf, This same Heine, like Hegard, when 
lying on what he calls his “ mattress-grave, experi- 
enced a spiritual transformation, and on the threshold of 
eternity repudiated the teachings of a lifetime. Shall 
not such a witness be heard? He surely had nothing 
to gain when dying in depreciating his own wisdom or 
in deceiving his neighbors. If ever honest, he was 
honest then; and though we may not be able to har- 
monize what he then said with convictions previously 
expressed, we are warranted in regarding it as the sober 
second thought of an earnest soul, and as such entitled 
to respectful consideration. The first account he gave 
of his conversion appeared in his “ Romancero,” and is 
again referred to at length in the Preface to the second 
German edition of “Religion and Philosophy ”’ (pp. 14, 
15). In the latter work, from which I quote, in trying 
to explain how it came to pass, he attributes it to the 
reading of the Bible, and then renders to the sacred 
volume this touching tribute: 


And this book is called quite shortly—the Book, the Bible. 
Rightly do men call it the Holy Scripture; for he that has 
lost his God can find him again in this Book, and toward him 
that has never known God it sends forth the breath of the Divine 
Word. ‘The Jews, who appreciate the value of precious things, 
knew right well what they did when, at the burning of the second 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 389 


temple, they left to their fate the gold and silver implements of 
sacrifice, the candlesticks, and lamps, even the breastplate of 
the High Priest adorned with great jewels, but saved the Bible. 


And in conclusion he cites approvingly the fine eulogy 
pronounced by Joshua ben Siras ben Eliezer in the 
reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus. Extolling the “Book 
of the Covenant,” the famous Hebrew says: 


Instruction floweth from it as the Euphrates when it is great, 
and as the Jordan in the harvest. . . There is none that hath 
ever made an end of learning it, there is none that will ever 
find out all its mystery. . Forits wisdom is richer than any sea, 
and its word deeper than any abyss. 


Let us select a few additional concessions from sev- 
eral well-known philosophers, and observe their import. 
To begin with Herbert Spencer: He admits : 


We cannot think at all about the impressions which the eter- 
nal world produces upon us without thinking of them as caused ; 
and we cannot carry out an inquiry concerning their causation 
without inevitably committing ourselves to the hypothesis of a 
First Cause. 


Also: 


The consciousness of an inscrutable power manifested to us 
through all phenomena has been growing ever clearer. . . To 
this conclusion science inevitably arrives as it reaches its con- 
fines. —/irst Principles, pp. 37, 108. 


Then Kant, recognizing the spiritual significance of 
Christianity, writes to Jacobi: 


We may well concede, that if the gospel had not previously 


390 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


taught the universal moral laws in their full purity, reason would 
not yet have attained so perfect an insight of them.—/acodi's 
Works, Ifl., 523. 


And as the gospel is the source of ethics so, accord- 
ing to Mill, the church that proclaims it has been “the 
chief refuge and hope of oppressed humanity.” * Get- 
ting closer to the essence of this gospel, we have 
these striking thoughts from Schelling: 


I call it a higher history, for the true subject matter of Chris- 
tianity is a history in which deity is implicated—a divine his- 
tory. . . It is incongruous to speak only of the teaching of 
Christ. The chief matter of Christianity is Christ himself, not 
what he said, but what he is and what he did.— Philosophie der 
Offenbarung, Lect. X., 3, p. 195. 


Pascal thus magnifies the Saviour, whom Schelling 
has just presented as Divine: 


Mohammed founded his kingdom by killing, Christ by suffer- 
ing himself to be killed. . . Humanly speaking, Mohammed 
chose means adapted for conquest, Jesus those adapted to de- 
feat.—FPensée, II., BD. 337. 


As he perceives the glory veiled in the person of Jesus, 
so Spinoza, Kant, Jacobi, and Hegel, struggle to dis- 
cover and announce his secret. To one he is the 
symbol of Divine wisdom, to another of ideal perfection, 
and especially to Hegel, the absolute union of the 
human and divine. From the wonderful unfolding of 
the Infinite in Christ, Fichte argues that “if any one 
is really united with God, and is in God, it is a matter 
of indifference to him by what means he attained this,” 


1 ** Dissert:,” 1); 2903- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 391 


thus pointing to the ultimate end of the incarnation, 
the union of each soul with God—though he fails to 
appreciate as he ought the only true means to the end, 
namely, the incarnation itself. Nevertheless, Fichte 
acknowledged that Jesus 


Did more than all other philosophers in bringing in heavenly 
morality into the hearts and homes of common men. Till the 
end of time, all the sensible will bow low before this Jesus of 
Nazareth, and all will humbly acknowledge the exceeding glory 
of this great phenomenon. 


No wonder then that Locke the philosopher rev- 
erenced the records wherein this “great phenomenon” 
is portrayed. On the value of the Bible he Saya aenk 
gratefully receive and rejoice in the light of revelation, 
which has set me at rest in many things, the manner 
whereof my poor reason can by no means make out to 
me’; and even Diderot, a very different kind of phi- 
lospher, but still a philosopher, admits that “no better 
lessons could he teach his child than those of the 
Bible.” After criticizing the sacred volume, Diderot 
exclaimed to the amazement of his friends?: 


Notwithstanding all the bad which we have said, and no doubt 
with good reason, concerning this book, I defy you all, as many 
as are here, to prepare a tale so simple, and at the same time so 
sublime and so touching, as the tale of the passion and death of 
Jesus Christ, which produces the same effect, which makes a 
sensation as strong and as generally felt, and whose influence 
will be the same after so many centuries. 


One more concession and I proceed to a fresh stage 
in this discussion. It is from the pen of Mr. Frederic 


sa Fichte’s ‘‘ Works,” Vol. V., p. 485. 
2 See ‘* Homage to the Book.” 


392 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Harrison, the Positivist philosopher of England, and 
was published in the March number of “The Nine- 
teenth Century,” 1883. He is exposing Mr. Spencer's 
“Ghost of Religion,” which the synthetic philoso- 
pher seeks to substitute for Christianity, and shows in 
his own scathing way how impossible it is for agnos- 
ticism to meet human needs. Much that Mr. Harrison 
says is applicable to his own substitute, positivism, and 
in a subsequent article Mr. Spencer is not slow to point 
out its inadequacies and inconsistencies. But our inter- 
est in the controversy does not center in either of their 
respective systems, but in the fact that human nature 
demands in a religion what neither of them can supply. 
This is plainly pointed out by Mr. Frederic Harrison ; 
and in doing so he performs a larger service than he 
knows; for without intending it, he shows, at least in 
some measure, why mankind clings to Christianity, 
why Christianity is an indestructible force, and why 
philosophers, such as we have cited, are continually 
rendering homage to the reasonableness of its princi- 
ples: 


Agnosticism is no more religion than differentiation or the 
nebular hypothesis is religion. . . A religion which gives 
us nothing particular to believe, nothing as an object of aweand 
gratitude, which has no special relations to human duty, is not a 
religion at all. . . To make religion out of the Unknow- 
able is far more extravagant than to make it out of the equator. 

In the hour of pain, danger, or death, can any one 
think of the Unknowable, hope anything of the Unknowable, or 
find any consolation therein? . . A mother wrung with 
agony for the loss of her child, or the wife crushed by the death 
of her children’s father, or the helpless and oppressed, the poor 
and the needy, men, women, and children in sorrow, doubt, 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 393 


and want, longing for something to comfort them and to guide 
them—something to believe in, to hope for, to love and to wor- 
ship—they come to our philosopher and they say: ‘‘ Your men 
of science have routed our priests, and have silenced our old 
teachers. What religious faith do you give us in its place?’’ And 
the philosopher replies (his full heart bleeding for them), and he 
says, ‘‘ Think of the Unknowable!’’ 


Common sense replies that these sufferers might just 
as well be told to think of the north pole; for that 
cheerless region is not more desolate and inhospitable 
than this cold and cruel theory. And the total import 
of Harrison’s invective against agnosticism, and of all 
the admissions made by the philosophers we have 
named, is simply, that they being judges, Christianity 
is the one religion completely adapted to human nature, 
which, as we have argued elsewhere (Chapter VII.), is 
the same as affirming that it is a gracious provision 
furnished by the Almighty. 

TuirDiy. The Concessions of Historians. As we 
have meditated on the sayings of men who are 
supposed to be in touch with the physical order of 
the universe, and have considered the testimony of 
those who are presumed to have an insight into the 
spiritual necessities of the race, so we may now gather 
the opinions of those whose business it has been to 
observe the practical operations of religious institutions, 
doctrines, and motives on the course of public and pri- 
vate affairs. The author of the “French Revolution,” 
“ Oliver Cromwell,” and “Frederick the Great,” Thomas 
Carlyle, thus, in the light of all his acquaintance with 
poor human nature, is constrained to express himself 
on two points : 


394 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


It is a sad and terrible thing to see a whole generation of men 
and women professing to be cultivated, looking around in a pur- 
blind fashion, and finding no God in the universe! I suppose 
it is a reaction from the reign of cant and hollow pretense—pro- 
fessing to believe what in fact they do not believe. And this 
is what we have got: all things from frog spawn ; the gospel of 
dirt ; the order of the day! The older I grow—and I now stand 
on the brink of eternity—the more comes back to me the sen- 
tence in the catechism, which I learned when a child, and the 
deeper and fuller its meaning becomes: ‘‘ What is the great end 
of man? To glorify God, and to enjoy him forever!’’ No 
gospel of dirt, teaching that men have descended from frogs 
through monkeys, can ever set that aside. 


And: 


In the poorest cottages are books; is one Book, wherein for 
several thousands of years the spirit of man has found light and 
nourishment, and an interpreting response to whatever is deep- 
est in him. 


Contemplating the grandeur and meanness, the great- 
ness and littleness of the leading characters in the 
wonderful dramas that had convulsed England, Ger- 
many, and France, and having studied the condition of 
the peoples of these countries and discerned the part 
that materialism had played in the disasters and disap- 
pointments of the past, he could not refrain from con- 
demning whatever tended to increase its power and 
diminish the spiritual influences by which the soul’s 
nobler self is fed. Nor is he alone among historians 
in the emphasis he lays on religion as an element of 
grace and beauty in social and individual life. Bunsen, 
a writer of enormous erudition, recognized God in all 
the events and movements of the ages; and apart from 
him perceived in them neither coherence of purpose 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 395 


nor beneficence of outcome. In a general way the 
Same is true of Grotius; and more recently Green, in 
his “History of the English People,” has declared that 
“the time has come for the recognition of moral and 
spiritual, as well as martial forces in history—for 
acknowledging the tremendous influence of the Wes- 
leyan revival as well as of the wars of the roses.” 
This is a protest against Gibbon and Hume, and against 
Buckle as well; for there are some minds that cannot 
see the Almighty in the changes transpiring on earth 
as there are others that perceive him not in the pro- 
cessioning of stars in heaven. But Guizot is not among 
the number. He observed the course of civilization, 
and in his “Meditations” as well as in his lectures on 
“Modern History,” defended the claims and extolled 
the wise and helpful sway of Christianity. Referring 
to the church he writes : 


She touched on all the great questions in which man is inter- 
ested ; she concerned herself with all the problems of his exist- 
ence, all the changes of his lot. Hence her influence on mod- 
ern’ Civilization was very great, greater than either her most 
violent opponents or most zealous defenders represented. 


Another French historian, Michelet, and one not so 
devout as Guizot, admits that “the liberties of the 
church were the liberties of mankind.”’! And Niebuhr 
even, the father of the modern historical method, main- 
tained that the supernatural as a factor in human affairs 
is not to be questioned, and makes the following con- 
cession which carries with it all that is really involved 
in the debate between rationalists and Christians: 


1 Hist. France, II., 343. 


396 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


With respect to a miracle in the strictest sense of the word, it 
needs but an unprejudiced and searching investigation of nature 
to perceive that the miracles here related are anything but ab- 
surd ; and a comparison with the legends or so-called miracles 
of other religions is all that is requisite to enable us to perceive 
what a different spirit dwells in them.—Wole 23, p. 402, in Lut- 
hardt’'s Fund. Truths. 


To these witnesses may be added two others, though 
it were an easy task to summon scores, who from their 
ability and their prominence in recent literature, are 
entitled to more than an ordinary hearing. I refer to 
James Anthony Froude and Ernest Renan. The 
former has written many things that indicate that he ts 
far from being infatuated with current orthodoxy ; and 
yet he has in more ways than one paid a just tribute 
to its high character and formative influence. From 
many such tributes I select only one, and that from his 
tractate on Calvinism, a system which perhaps on the 
whole, while not free from error, comes nearer to the 
genius of Christianity than any other: 


I am going to ask you to consider how it came to pass that if 
Calvinism is indeed the hard and unreasonable creed which 
modern enlightenment declares it to be, it has possessed such 
singular attractions in past times for some of the greatest men 
that ever lived; and how—being as we are told fatal to mo- 
rality, because it denies free will—the first symptom of its opera- 
tion, wherever it established itself, was to obliterate the distinc- 
tion between sins and crimes, and to make the moral law the 
rule of life for States as well as persons. I shall ask you again, 
why, if it be a creed of intellectual servitude, it was able to 
inspire and sustain the bravest efforts ever made by man to break 
the yoke of unjust authority. When all else has failed—when 
patriotism has covered its face, and human courage has broken 
down—when intellect has yielded, as Gibbon says, ‘‘ with a smile 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 397 


or a sigh,’’ content to philosophize in the closet, and abroad 
worship with the vulgar—when emotion, and sentiment, and 
tender imaginative piety have become the handmaids of super- 
stition, and have dreamt themselves into forgetfulness that there 
is any difference between lies and truth—the slavish form of be- 
lief called Calvinism, in one or other of its many forms, has 
borne ever an inflexible front to illusion and mendacity, and has 
preferred rather to be ground to powder like flint than to bend 
before violence or melt under enervating temptation. . . All 
that we call modern civilization, in a sense which deserves 
the name, is the visible expression of the transforming power of 
the gospel. 


These are very strong words, especially those con- 
tained in the last sentence. As I have read and re- 
read the entire paragraph I have found myself inquir- 
ing what more could a divine and supernatural religion 
do than has already been done, according to Mr. 
Froude, by Christianity? If it has evermore advanced 
the cause of rectitude and virtue, and if it has unceas- 
ingly and unflinchingly withstood the inroads of super- 
stition and lies, and if the moral grandeur of modern 
civilization is the expression of its transforming energy, 
it hardly needs any other credentials to prove that it 
is “God’s best gift to man.” More however to our 
present purpose are the latest concessions of M. 
Kenan, which have just found their way into print, and 
which can be read in the concluding volume of his 
“Flestotre du Peuple d’Isvael.”’ This book as yet is 
hardly known, as it has not had time to be widely circu- 
lated. This fact will I am sure excuse the length of the 
citations here introduced. He says: 


This movement of the birth of Christianity, humble in origin, 
afterward of colossal importance, groups itself round the name 


398 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


of Jesus. . . After constant reflections I persist in believing that 
Jesus, as to his general physiognomy, was such as the synoptic 
Gospels represent him to us. His discourses were in the main 
those preserved in the Gospel of Matthew; his Passion in its 
general outlines that which all the texts give us. The /a¢er and 
the Eucharistic recital are almost instantaneous photographs. 

. If we had seen this prodigious development taking place 
under our eyes, on a multitude of points we should have had 
deceptions ; on many others we should recognize the truth of 
stories in which we were cradled, and of ideas which the 
received texts have suggested to us. . . 

There is one fundamental point, at least, in which I am more 
and more confirmed—namely, that Jesus not only existed, but 
that he was great and noble, his greatness and beauty shut up, 
it may be, within a narrow enough circle, but real, a thousand 
times more real than the insipid grandeurs of earth. To have 
been loved to this degree he must have been divinely lovable. 
The resurrection here is, above all, a capital argument. The 
belief of it was assuredly the supreme miracle of love. That 
love was greater than death ; it gave back life to its object. To 
permit the weight of love involved in the Christian origin to be 
borne by a stem too feeble to sustain it, would be contrary to the 
statics of history. Jesus must have been delightful; only his 
charm was known only to some dozen persons. These 
adored him to such a degree that their passion has proved con- 
tagious, and has impressed itself on the world. The world has 
worshiped him whom they so much loved. . . ‘‘ The immediate 
future is obscure. Credulity has deep roots. Socialism in com- 
plicity with Catholicism,’ may bring on a new Medizvalism, of 
barbarians, of churches, of eclipses of liberty and of individual- 
ity, of civilization in a word. “But the ulterior future is sure.”’ . . 

The trace of Israel, nevertheless, will be eternal. Israel was 
the first to give form to the cry of the people, to the plaint of 
the poor, to the obstinate demand of those who thirst after 
righteousness. Israel has so loved righteousness that, not find- 
ing the world righteous, it condemned it to perish. 


He closes with these words: 
2I 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 399 


Israel (by which specially he means Christianity) will 
not be conquered unless military force obtains once more pos- 
session of the world, and founds there servitude, forced labor, 
and feudalism. That is not probable. After centuries of strug- 
gles among rival nationalities, humanity will organize itself 
peaceably ; the sum of evil will be greatly diminished ; except 
in rare instances, all will be glad to live. With inevitable reser- 
vations the Jewish programme will be accomplished, and right- 
eousness, without need of a compensating heaven, will exist 
really upon the earth. 


The position of M. Renan is too well known for me 
to be under the necessity of explaining that he was 
not in any real sense a believer. As an Orientalist he 
studied very diligently along congenial lines, and has 
succeeded in presenting a very charming picture of 
Jesus and his religion, only the facts he adduces in 
support of his theory constitute real premises of too 
large a measure for his meagre and altogether fanciful 
conclusions. There is no just proportion of logic 
between what he allows and what he infers. It would 
seem as though he could not resist the evidence on 
which rests the authenticity of the Gospels, and there- 
fore attempted to overcome its significance by giving 
to these narratives an interpretation totally at variance 
with their letter and spirit, and colored by his own 
exuberant imagination. But be that as it may, he 
admits enough to warrant belief in Christianity as it is 
understood and cherished by the overwhelming major- 
ity of its supporters. 

But if the concessions of historians are entitled to 
considerable weight, the concessions of the men who 
make history, the great statesmen, soldiers, and jurists, 
ought neither to be overlooked nor undervalued. I 


400 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


introduce in this connection brief reference to their 
sentiments, because as they furnish much of the mate- 
rial of history I know of no more appropriate class in 
which to group them than in that of historians. Glad- 
stone, the great and the good, has never in the least 
concealed his uncompromising loyalty to Christianity. 
Not only has he defended religion with his pen, he has 
honored it in his illustrious life. Nor is the Iron 
Chancellor an infidel. He has acknowledged Jesus to 
be his Saviour, and in his way has been as faithful a 
soldier of the cross of Calvary as he has been a true 
supporter of the crown of Germany. When such a 
statesman as Bismarck confesses that he reads the 
Bible, and says publicly that he cannot understand how 
any one can endure existence unsustained by belief in 
God, little importance need be attached to the skepti- 
cal sneers of smaller and meaner men. And 
when soldiers like John of Barneveld, Oliver Crom- 
well, Generals Woolsey, Grant, Mitchell, Garfield, 
Howard, Thomas, Lee, and Stonewall Jackson, are out- 
spoken on behalf of Christianity, no particular appre- 
hension need be felt at the hostile thrusts of some 
lecturing colonel. Among other statements attributed 
to Napoleon is this special note of appreciation : 

The soul charmed with the beauty of the gospel is no longer 
its own possession ; God possesses it entirely ; it is he who 
directs its thoughts and faculties ; it is his. What a proof of the 
Divinity of Christ! Yet in this absolute sovereignty he has but 
one aim, the spiritual perfection of the individual, the purifica- 


tion of his conscience, his union with what is true, the salvation 
of his soul.—Abbott’s Life of Napoleon, Vol. Il., ch. 32, p. 612. 


Mazzini also, though approaching the subject from a 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 401 


different standpoint, writing in the “F ortnightly 
Review,” June, 1870, shows with remarkable clearness 
the vital relation of Christianity to the highest welfare 
of the race, and affirms that we owe to it “the idea of 
the unity of the human family, and of the equality 
and emancipation of souls.” George Washington is 
on record as saying: 


The free cultivation of letters, the unbounded extension of 
commerce, the progressive refinement of manners, the growing 
liberality of sentiment, and ABOVE ALL, the pure and benign 
light of REVELATION, have had ameliorating influence on man- 
kind, and increased the blessings of society. 


Edmund Burke went as far, if not farther, when he 
said : 


We know, and, what is better, we feel inwardly, that religion 
is the basis of civil society, and the source of all good and of all 
comfort. 


And Daniel Webster surpassed both in his magnifi- 
cent tribute: 


Religion is a necessary and indispensable element in any great 
human character. There is no living withoutit. Religion is the tie 
that connects man with his Creator, and holds him to his throne. 
If that tie be sundered, all broken, he floats away, a worthless 
atom in the universe ; its proper attractions all gone, its destiny 
thwarted, and its whole future nothing but darkness, desolation, 
and death. A man with no sense of religious duty is he whom 
the Scriptures describe, in such terse but terrific language, as 
living without God in the world. 


Kent, Blackstone, and Grotius, concur in ascribing 
to the influence of Christianity the nobler aspects of 
our present civilization.’ I am naturally tempted to 


1See Kent's Com., Vol. I., pp. 10, 12; Blackstone’s Com., Vol. I., pp. 38, 61 ; and 
Groting (BOLI. ch. 15; pp..11) 32. 


402 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


multiply such admissions, particularly as there are not 
wanting clever adversaries who have a habit of claim- 
ing nearly all of the great thinkers and great actors in 
the drama of history as sympathizing with unbelief. 
Their claim however is merely a boastful assumption, 
and is sufficiently answered by the names already 
quoted in this chapter without increasing the list indefi- 
nitely. Historians and the makers of history in ade- 
quate numbers and of adequate rank have been heard 
on the question at issue between skepticism and faith, 
and have said enough to convince us, unless we are 
determined not to be convinced, that the preponderance 
of evidence is overwhelmingly favorable to faith. 

FouRTHLY. The concessions of poets. We must all 
of us appreciate the discernment of Schiller when he 
wrote to Goethe these words : 


If we keep to that special characteristic of Christianity which 
distinguishes it from all monotheistic religions, it is no other 
than its abolition of law, of the Kantian imperative; in the 
place of which Christianity insists on placing free inclination. 
Hence, in its pure form, it is the manifestation of moral loveli- 
ness, the incarnation of the holy, and in this sense the only 
religion.—‘‘ Works,’ Vol. I1., p. 354. 


And in view of this discriminating conception we are 
prepared to share in his indignation against materialis- 
tic scientists : 


Talk not to me, astronomers, always of stars and of motion ! 

Worlds had never been made simply for science to count. 

Grand is heaven’s host doubtless. In space there’s nothing 
sublimer ; 

But, good friends, the sublime was not embodied in space. 


No; it dwells rather in the immaterial ; in the moral, 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 403 


not in the physical. We should expect the poet to 
perceive that. We should also expect a Wordsworth to 
shrink from a philosophy that eliminates God from the 
universe and reduces the cosmos to a soulless and in- 
explicable mass of mechanism: 


Great God, I’d rather be 
A pagan suckled in a creed outworn ; 
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, 
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn ; 
Have sight of Proteus, rising from the sea, 
And hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn. 


But though such sentiments are not uncommon to 
the leading bards of the most enlightened nations, an 
impression has been sedulously cultivated in various 
quarters that their religion is a mere indefinable feeling, 
and has little if anything in common with the doctrinal 
and historical aspects of Christianity. It has been 
further asserted that at the best they are only panthe- 
ists, and that much of their pious talk is merely emo- 
tionalism ; while in the case of Byron, Burns, Shelley, and 
Hunt unbelief has been unhesitatingly avowed. I do 
not feel called on particularly to answer these charges, 
most of which however I believe to be unfounded. 
From the interior life of men we are excluded by im- 
passible barriers, and can never be certain that we un- 
derstand their motives or their deepest convictions ; 
but in this case I am sure, unless the poets are stu- 
pendous hypocrites, that great injustice is done them 
by these representations, While the trend of their 
imagination may be in the direction of pantheism, while 
it may be natural for them to personify all objects and 
endue all with the radiance of Divine intelligence, and 


404 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


while there may be something in their habits of thought 
inimical to exactness of speech and at times, in ex- 
treme instances, to exactness of conduct, it is not fair 
to describe them as instinctively antagonistic to the 
fundamental Christian conceptions. That they are not. 
But if it is true that they are constitutionally opposed 
to theological definitions, and if their very temperament 
disposes them to undervalue dogma, must it not be im- 
mensely significant if they in their writings subscribe 
to dogma, especially to orthodox doctrines, and if they 
embody the ideas and invest their themes with the 
moral and spiritual atmosphere of the very religion 
which they are supposed to find so hard to countenance ? 
Well, this is just what is apparent in their works, par- 
ticularly in the productions of Dante, Milton, Shakes- 
peare, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Browning, Whittier, and 
Longfellow. 

Dr. C. C. Felton, at one time president of Harvard 
College, devoted a considerable portion of a very ex- 
cellent volume on “ Ancient and Modern Greece” to a 
study of Homer and his influence on the classic world. 
On this theme he grows enthusiastic and writes : 

His reign extended through the whole existence of the Greeks. 
. . Lhe beauty he breathed into the Ionian speech consecrated 
it as the chosen language of what was loftiest in thought. In 
Athens his works were the basis of literary education ; and lyric 
and dramatic poets drew from him as from an inexhaustible 
mine. A¢schylus said that his own works were only crumbs 
gathered from the Homeric banquet. Plato was indebted to 
him ; and the architects who graced the hilltops of Helas and 


Jonia with temples, borrowed from him; and the forms of gods 
and men were molded by the ideals of the Chian singer. The 


1 See Vol. I. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 405 


Acropolis of Athens and the Zeus of Phidias came from the 
poet’s pen before they emanated from the chisel. 

And in these various ways, silent though eloquent 
tributes were paid to the greatness of his genius. In 
a similar manner, though to a vaster extent, Christian 
thought has governed modern poetry. Much of our 
highest literature, as well as our purest art and noblest 
music, is but a reproduction, variation, or modifica- 
tion of the sacred theme that glorifies the pages of 
Holy Writ. “We take our Bible in fact, as we take 
our oxygen, in combinations which touch life at its 
every point.” The significance of this influence is not 
measured by any number of distinct allusions to our 
Lord and his doctrine, but by the fact that the motive, 
movement, and spirit of the great poems are all derived 
from Christianity, and are inexplicable and could not, 
apart from it, be understood. Dante, Shakespeare, 
Milton, Tennyson, Browning, Longfellow, Whittier 
would be as unintelligible to this generation as Euclid 
is to the benighted denizens of Central Africa, were it 
not for the education of civilized nations in the aims, 
ideals, and ruling conceptions of the dominant faith. 
The tribute of poetic genius, therefore, lies primarily 
and mainly in accepting from Christianity the fire that 
kindles its inspiration, the soul that throbs in its verse, 
and the elevating interpretations of man in his relations 
to God that glow in its philosophy. When I take up 
a copy of Browning, or of Rossetti, of Christopher Smart, 
or of James Russell Lowell, and musingly turn over the 
pages I think as much of the argument in favor of? 
Christianity contained therein as I do of the harmony 
and sweetness of the composition. Their writings ina 


406 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


sense are genuine “apologetics,” and are the more con- 
vincing as they betray no intention of being anything 
of the kind. They are involuntary, though not neces- 
sarily unwilling witnesses, and direct though not de- 
signed confirmations of all that the church holds true 
and heavenly. 

But in addition to the testimony borne by the drift 
and spiritual ideals of modern poetry there are multi- 
tudes of distinct and approving statements of specific 
gospel teachings that constantly appear in its more 
elevated passages, a mere sample of which can here be 
given. What more evangelical in tone and thought 
than this from Cowper ? 


I was a stricken deer that left the herd 

Long since—with many an arrow deep infixed’ 
My panting side was charged, when I withdrew 
To seek a tranquil death in distant shades. 

There was I found by One who had himself 

Been hurt by archers. In his side he bore 

And in his hands and feet the cruel scars. 

With gentle force soliciting the darts 

He drew them forth, and healed, and bade me live. 


And equally Christian, though in a different mood, 
the lines penned by Coleridge; 


O sweeter than the marriage feast 

"Tis sweeter far to me 

To walk together to the kirk 

With a goodly company ! 

To walk together to the kirk 

And all together pray, 

While each to his great Father bends 
Old men and babes and loving friends, 
And youths and maidens gay. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 407 


He prayeth best who loveth best 
All things both great and small, 
For the dear God who loveth us 
He made and loveth all. 


I associate these vivid lines in my mind with the 
singularly beautiful verse of Tennyson, inspired also by 
the New Testament : 


More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. 
For what are men better than sheep or goats, 

That nourish a blind life within the brain, 

If knowing God they lift not hands of prayer, 

Both for themselves and those who call them friend. 


And a Wordsworth discerns the close and natural rela- 
tion between the Creator and the creature that renders 
prayer at all possible. When observing the effect on a 
child of the murmurings from “the convolutions of a 
smooth-lipped shell,” which proclaimed “mysterious 
union with its native sea,” he adds: 


Even such a shell the universe itself 

Is to the ear of faith; and there are times, 
I doubt not, when to you it doth impart 
Authentic tidings of invisible things ; 

Of ebb and flow, and ever during power : 
And central peace, subsisting at the heart 
Of endless agitation. Here you stand, 
Adore and worship, when you know it not ; 
Pious beyond the intention of your thoughts ; 
Devout above the meaning of your will. 


Browning also perceives the constant interblending 
of the divine and the human, and yet, perhaps with 
greater clearness than is found in Wordsworth lays 
stress on the Bible disclosure of God as interposing even 


408 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


to the point of crucifixion in the mighty conflict between 
right and wrong : 


Is not God now in the world his power first made? 
Is not his love at issue still with sin ? 

Closed with and cast and conquered, crucified 
Visibly when a wrong is done on earth? 


But he has confidence that however for the mo- 
ment the course of things may seem to prevail 
against the Almighty and his cause, the excitement 
past, and the bubbles of error broken, the imperiled 
will survive : 


Vexed waters sank to smooth ; 
’Twas only when the last of bubbles broke, 
The latest circlet widened all away, 
And left a placid level, that up-swam 
To the surface the drowned truth. 


Mr. Browning does not hesitate to recognize the “ In- 
carnation,” and its related doctrines, concerning which 
Christopher Smart has sweetly sung: 


There is but One who ne’er rebelled, 
But One by passion unimpelled, 
By pleasures unenticed ; 
He from himself his semblance sent, 
Grand object of his own content, 
And saw the God in Christ. 


Neither is Shakespeare silent on these great themes, 
though of late a noted infidel has been claiming the 
master poet as an ally. It is not our place to reconcile 
the derelict conduct of the Bard of Avon with his 
Christian sentiments ; but to deny that he penned such 
sentiments, or that he did not mean what he wrote, is 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 409 


inexcusably misleading. Remember that the following 
lines are among the most familiar in his works: 


All the souls that were forfeit once ; 
And he that might the vantage best have took 
Found out the remedy. . . 


The world’s ransom, blessed Mary’s Son. . . 
Am by the death of him that died for all. . . 


That dread King that took our state upon him, 
To free us from his Father’s ‘‘ wrathful curse. . . 


Those holy fields, 
Over whose acres walked those blessed feet, 
Which fourteen hundred years ago were nailed 
For our vantage on the bitter cross. . . 


For what I speak 
My body shall make good upon this earth, 
Or my divine soul answer it in heaven. . . 


; Blood, like sacrificing Abel’s, cries, 
Even from the tongueless caverns of the earth. 

I pardon him as God shall pardon me. 

I as free forgive as I would be forgiven. 

How shalt thou hope for mercy, rendering none. . . . 


Consider this— 
That in the course of justice, none of us 
Should see salvation ; we do pray for mercy ; 
And that same prayer doth teach us to render 
The deeds of mercy. . . 


How would you be, 
If he, which is the top of judgment, should 
But judge you as you are? Othink on that; 
And mercy then will breathe within your lips, 
Like man new made. 


410 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


I challenge the right of any man with these passages 
before him to class Shakespeare with the enemies 
of Christianity. He may have been inconsistent and 
weak; but the concessions we have just read could not 
have proceeded from the nen of a ribald reprobate or 
an irreclaimable and irreverent atheist. 

The misconceptions abroad relative to the personal 
faith of our chief English bard recalls the constant 
effort made to associate the name of Robert Burns 
with the most offensive type of impiety. He has been 
claimed by several schools of infidelity, and unfortu- 
nately by his conduct has exposed himself to the sus- 
picion of indifference to the obligations of religion. 
But M. Taine admits that Burns is not to be ranked 
with scoffers of the French Revolution; and though 
undoubtedly he speaks of himself as “an unregenerated 
heathen,” there are moments when he thinks seriously, 
writes devoutly, and candidly concedes what condemns 
himself and vindicates the Bible. Ina letter to a friend, 
dated March 6, 1788, he wrote: 


Nothing astonishes me more when a ltttle sickness clogs the 
wheels of life, than the thoughtless career we run in the hour of 
health. ‘‘ None saith, where is God my Maker that giveth songs 
in the night?’’ Oh! give me my Maker, to remember thee! 
Give me to act up to the dignity of my nature! 


Again : 


My life reminded me of a ruined temple; what strength, 
what proportion in some parts! What unsightly gaps, what 
prostrate ruin in others! I knelt down before the Father of 
mercies, and said: ‘‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, 
and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy 
son !"' 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CONCESSION 4II 


Well might he sing: 


Yet ne’er with wits profane to range, 
Be complaisance extended ; 

An atheist’s laugh ’s a poor exchange 
For Deity offended ! 

When ranting round in pleasures’ ring 
Religion may be blinded ; 

Or if she gie a random sting, 
It may be little minded : 

But when in life we’re tempest driven, 
A conscience but a canker— 

A correspondence fixed in heaven 
Is sure a noble anchor. 


The lamentations of the Scottish minstrel over his 
moral lapses and follies, coupled with this devout ad- 
monition, bring to mind one of the most terrible spirit- 
ual tragedies enacted within the republic of letters. I 
refer to the desolation experienced by the poet Keats 
on his deathbed. He was yet a young man when 
taken to Italy in the hopes that a change of climate 
would effect a cure. Every expectation was doomed to 
disappointment. He slowly faded away. During the 
closing hours of his life he underwent pathetic mental 
struggles, which are thus described in a letter to Arch- 
bishop Trench, the substance of which was communi- 
cated by Severn the artist, who was with the poet when 
he died : 


The sufferings of Keats were terrible and prolonged. Shelly 
and Hunt deprived him of his belief in Christianity, which he 
wanted in the end, and he endeavored to fight back to it, saying 
if Severn could get him a Jeremy Taylor he thought he could 
believe ; but it was not to be found in Rome. Another time, 
having been betrayed into considerable impatience by bodily 


- 


412 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


and mental anguish, he cried, on recovering himself : ‘‘ By God, 
Severn, a man ought to have some superstition, that he may die 
decently.”’ 


Thus passed away the author of “Endymion” and 
“Hyperion,” who in his sickness said he already “felt 
the daisies growing over him”; and who tragically 
enough completes our brief review of the concessions 
of the poets by affording a painful illustration in his last 
hours of the invaluable and indispensable grace of the 
Christian religion in preparing the soul for death and 
eternity. 


Xx 
THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 


LL religions,” writes Gibbon, “are to the vulgar 

. equally true, to the philosopher equally false, 
and to the statesman equally useful.’ There never 
was a more foolish statement than this; for even if 
philosophers and statesmen regard religion in this 
superficial and supercilious way, the so-called vulgar 
are not so stupid as to look on all creeds as equally 
true. Indeed, the ordinary view of mankind is rather 
that they must be equally false with the exception of 
one. Abd-el-Latref, of Wahhabee, recounted to the 
people of Riad one day the tradition according to 
which Mohammed declared that his followers should 
divide into seventy-three sects, and that seventy-two 
were destined to hell fire, and only one to paradise. 
This fortunate sect was to be composed of those per- 
sons who conformed to the example of the prophet. 
« And this happy sect are we,” added the preacher, in 
tones of deepest conviction. 

While the complacency of the preacher may seem 
somewhat ludicrous, nevertheless, though an extreme 
case, it reflects the judgment of the world’s masses. 
If the Almighty has given a revelation of himself and 
of his holy will to one people, surely he has not be- 
stowed a different and contradictory revelation on some 


other people! Can there be various spiritual remedies 
413 


414 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


for the same disease, numerous Saviours, each one ex- 
clusively sent by God, and each exclusively entitled to 
homage? and can it be that diverse faiths receive the 
unqualified sanction of a Supreme Being who is jealous 
of his own unity and who is seeking to realize the 
moral and intellectual union of races and tribes? 
Whatever skeptics, like Mr. Gibbon, may say to 
the contrary, the commonality of people will persist in 
holding that there can only be one true religion. 

But this position, while perfectly sound in principle, 
may be carried entirely too far. Men and women may 
fail to perceive that whzle only one religion can be true, 
there may be and must be something that ts true in every 
religion. Unfortunately this simple distinction has 
been overlooked by multitudes of devout souls, and 
consequently they have considered every other system 
than Christianity as an unadulterated mass of pernicious 
error. To them Hinduism, Brahminism, Buddhism, 
Zoroastrianism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Moham- 
medanism have merely stood for vile and villainous 
compounds of lies. They have discerned in them no 
ray of light to relieve their blackness and hideousness 
and no way of deliverance for their multiplied adherents 
from the quenchless fires of perdition. It is perhaps 
unnecessary to say that heathen creeds have expressed 
themselves quite as strongly against Christianity, and 
whatever a few polite apologists may say to the contrary, 
continue to breathe out proscriptions and denunciations 
against its supporters. And thus these world-faiths 

Either in sullen truce or bitter strife, 
Still dwell together, but still dwell apart. 


A hopeful change, however, has commenced. It 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 415 


dates to the labors of Sir William Jones, an English 
judge of Bengal, who lived about a hundred years ago ; 
but it has only acquired momentum and_ strength 
within the last half-century. The facilities of commu- 
nication which have made India, China, and Japan 
the neighbors of Western countries, are famil- 
larizing the people of all lands with the religions and 
philosophy of the Orient. Sanskrit is being studied 
in England, America, France, and Germany, and 
scholars like Max Miiller, Monier Williams, and T. W. 
Rhys Davids, by lectures, magazine articles, and books, 
are doing much to increase our knowledge of heathen 
thought and heathen belief. And this knowledge is 
enlarging by the translation and publication of the 
“Sacred Books of the East,” a work consisting of fifty 
or more volumes. The “Hibbert Lectures” and the 
printed matter furnished by the “ Society for Promot- 
ing Christian Knowledge,” have greatly aided in dis- 
seminating clearer views on the teaching and signifi- 
cance of the various ethnic faiths. These labors have 
led to the beginnings of what is termed “the 
science of religion,’ and to the study of what is 
called “comparative religions.” 

There are some Christians who are not sure where- 
unto this new movement may grow. They question 
its expediency and grieve over its progress. But there 
is no need for alarm. Why should we fear this new 
access to the aspirations and ideals of our brothers of 
other tribes and of distant lands? And why should 
apprehensions be felt relative to the outcome of inquir- 
ies which have been rendered possible largely through 
the toil of Christian missionaries and scholars? The 


416 HE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


labors of Carey, Duff, Patteson, Legge, Bunsen, Jew- 
ett, Nathan Brown, Mason, Williams, and ‘Sayce have 
gone far toward furnishing material for a “ science of 
religion,” and are in no small degree responsible for 
the enthusiasm that has been kindled in our times on 
its behalf. This is not an infidel “new departure,” 
designed to bring the Cross into disrepute ; it is rather 
a providential interposition for the sifting of truth from 
error and for the spiritual unification of mankind. 
Instead of dreading we should welcome all such investi- 
gations and comparisons, confident that in the end they 
must serve to confirm the claims and promote the 
power of the kingdom of God on earth. 

One thing already has been made perfectly evident : 
It can no longer be assumed that there are no flashes 
of heavenly light in the Eastern world, and that no stars 
glimmer in what may be considered as its canopy of 
night. However impotent for good the venerable cults 
of the East may be, they are not altogether destitute of 
wisdom, lofty longings and some sound principles of 
morality. To denounce them as systems of lies and 
only lies is to betray either extreme ignorance or intol- 
erance. The facts do not warrant the accusation, and 
were jt tenable there would be involved in it a very 
severe crimination both of God and man. It would 
imply that the largest portion of the human family was 
incapable of discovering or prizing truths, and that the 
Almighty had left it entirely to itself while he lavished 
his attention on a few millions in the West. This is 
very difficult to credit. It is far more reasonable to 
suppose that the sages of India and Persia, like the 
wise men of Greece, were anxious not to be deceived 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 417 


and had in the course of their inquiries arrived at some 
conclusions indubitable and veracious ; and that God of 
his grace had wrcught through their personal endeavors 
to prepare them in ways suitable to their idiosyncrasies 
for the ultimate reception of Christianity. Thus un- 
derstood, Dr. Fairbairn is justified in saying: “ Religion 
is aS universal as man; but as varied in types as the 
races and nature of man.” 

Considered as a human product this view of religion 
may beallowed. Necessarily it would develop along racial 
and national lines, educating and fitting the various 
peoples of earth for the coming of the ultimate 
which would differ from all others in that it would be 
universal in its scope and be adapted to mankind asa 
whole. Quite an elaborate, though not a final, exposition 
of this subject we have from the pen of Dr. George Mathe- 
son in his “ Distinctive Messages of the Old Religions.”’ 
In this treatise he shows how Confucianism, Buddhism, 
and the rest have stood for special and definite ideas, 
and how, as far as they are true, these ideas are compre- 
hended in Christianity, which in its turn supplements 
and completes them. He claims that the religion of 
Egypt was darkened by the sense of mystery which 
perpetually hangs on the confines of existence; that 
Brahminism was an aspiration after the divine coupled 
with a painful pessimistic consciousness of the vanity 
and inutility of human life; while Buddhism is an an- 
nouncement of human brotherhood; Parseeism of the 
war between good and evil; Confucianism of the sanc- 
tity of the immemorable past; and Christianity a spirit, 
a doctrine, a system, far more comprehensive than they 
all, and comprehending in itself far more than all of 


418 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


' them taken together can possibly signify to the sinful 
and sorrowing children of Adam. His closing para- 
graph reads : 


The religion of Christ ought to have peculiar interest in the 
faiths of the past. They are not to her dead faiths; they are 
not even modernized. They are preserved inviolable as parts of 
herself ; more inviolable than they would have been if she had 
never come. Christianity has claimed to be ‘‘the manifold 
wisdom of God.’’ In this ascription she has been candid to the 
past. She has not denied its wisdom; she has only aspired to 
enfold it. She has not sought to derogate from the doctrines of 
antiquity ; she has only sought to diminish their antagonisms. 
China may keep her materialism and India may retain her mys- 
ticism ; Rome may grasp her strength and Greece may nurse 
her beauty ; Persia may tell of the opposition to God’s power 
and Egypt may sing of his pre-eminence, even amid the tombs ; 
but for each and all there is a seat in the Christian Pantheon, 
and a justification in the light of ‘‘ the manifold wisdom of God.”’’ 


These representations and thoughts that have come 
to me during my own studies of religion as a science 
have led me to believe that a conclusive argument in 
favor of Christianity as a supernatural system would 
ultimately come to be fashioned out of its comparison 
with other systems. It seems to me if it can be shown 
that Christianity acknowledges what is good in every 
other creed, duplicates it, and transcends it; if she 
includes whatever is actually true taught by other reli- 
gions in her own truth, supplementing and completing 
it; and if she interprets the aspirations and yearnings 
of all other religions and excels them all in the scope of 
her influence and the multiplicity of her benefactions, 
the reasoning that would thus prove her to be without a 
peer among her many rivals would logically confirm her 


THE ARGUMENT FROM CCMPARISON 419 


highest claims ; for it surpasses credulity to suppose it 
possible that any such system, comprehending in itself 
the loftiest wisdom of all ages and of all cults, and 
eclipsing all by the splendor of her ideals and the radi- 
ance of her hopes, could have emanated from a few un- 
lettered fishermen and peasants pursuing their incon- 
spicuous vocations in an obscure and impoverished 
district of the Roman world. Perhaps adequate ma- 
terial is not yet in hand for the broadest and most 
satisfactory treatment of this important subject; but 
sufficient, I am persuaded, is at command for at least a 
preliminary effort in this direction. Therefore, with 
the greatest diffidence as to my own resources, though 
with the fullest confidence in the soundness of the 
method to be pursued, I presume, on closing this vol- 
ume, to attempt a statement of 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON. 


Endeavors have not been lacking of late to convict 
Christianity of an indisposition to acknowledge her in- 
debtedness to other creeds. It has been more than 
insinuated that she owes far more than she takes 
account of to Confucius, Buddha, and other sages of 
the East. In his last volume, “Peoples of” Israels: 
quoted in a previous chapter, M. Renan tries to explain 
our Lord’s mission and the institution that is called by 
his name, by attributing both to the influence of Mes- 
sianic literature, outside of the Bible, that existed prior 
to his advent. In other words, the Christ and his 
church were the natural, necessary resultants of popu- 
lar ideas floating in the community and contained in 
venerable manuscripts, which their adherents have 


420 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


never been intelligent or candid enough to recognize. 
This, however, is an error. The existence of this lit- 
erature, inspired and uninspired, has never been denied ; 
but its ability to effect the fulfillment of itself or the 
power of a few humble individuals to fulfill it has been, 
and in the name of common sense must be, challenged. 
Wild roses from the first predicted the coming of the 
garden rose, but there is no evidence of the one being 
able to lift itself up and transform itself into the other. 
The problem is not, how came there to be an apocalypse 
in flowers? but how came the fragrant symbolism to be 
honored and verified in a growth as far transcending 
the originals in beauty and aroma as the millennium will 
excel the poor pictures painted by John of its glories? 
It is a comparatively easy matter to portray a paradise, 
but not quite so easy to actualize one. The metamor- 
phoses of plants are accomplished only by the interposi- 
tion of intelligence; and the more difficult task of 
transmuting the idealism of Messianic literature into 
history demands an enlightenment equal to the effect to 
be produced. And when it is remembered that that 
literature required its hero to be born at a certain time, 
of a certain race, with a certain character, achieving 
certain ends, performing certain works, extending also 
his dominion through endless ages, it was an absolute 
impossibility, as we have already argued, for any mere 
man, not supernaturally born, supernaturally guided, 
sustained, and honored, to have translated it into the 
facts of history. The intelligence demanded, there- 
fore, for this translation is divine, and Christians are 
compelled to insist that, while there may be a manifest 
relation between Christianity and some Messianic writ- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 421 


ings, she is actually indebted for her existence, not to 
them, but to the direct agency of the Almighty. 
Professor Tiele has reminded students that Islam is 
not original, not even a ripe fruit, but rather a wild off- 
shoot of Judaism and Christianity. This I presume is 
generally admitted. But I apprehend it is not so clear 
to my readers that even Buddhism, though not an out- 
growth from Christianity, has probably received far 
more from the religion of Jesus than it has ever ac- 
knowledged. There are certain superficial resemblances 
between them that imply contact at an early day. This 
is sO apparent that it is sometimes claimed that 
Buddhism had much to do with the rise and form of 
the Western faith; while, on the other hand, the dis- 
ciples of Christ contend that there is more reason to 
believe that Christianity influenced Buddhism during 
the first two or three centuries of our era, since which 
period Buddhistic literature has been penned. Viscount 
Amberley, who has thoroughly studied the subject, 
says that there is not a reliable biography of Buddha 
extant ; and the tradition among the Singhalese people 
is that no Buddhistic book of any kind was written for 
five hundred years after Gautama’s life. It seems then 
more likely that an effort should have been made to 
copy our Gospels, which were at an early day widely 
disseminated, than that the Gospels should have been 
colored by documents that could hardly have been 
known outside of India even if they really existed. 
The first reference to Buddha in the West occurs in 
the writings of Clemens Alexandrinus. In the third 
century that Father, probably informed by Megasthenes, 
who had been in the East, said: “Some too, of 


422 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the Indians obey the precepts of Boutta (so is the 
name spelled), whom on account of his extraordinary 
sanctity they have raised to divine honors.” * Christi- 
anity at an early day penetrated India. In the sixth 
century its adherents abounded in Ceylon, though ex- 
tinct now, while there are still on the coast of Malabar 
some two hundred and fifty thousand disciples, the de- 
scendants of a church that was founded by the apos- 
tles. The first Roman Catholic missionaries, and more 
recently the late Dr. Burnell, found primitive crosses 
near Madras and Kottayam with Pahlavi inscriptions, 
which indicate an attempt to conquer the Orient for Jesus 
at the beginning. It isan interesting fact, according to 
Eusebius, that Pantaenus of Alexandria in the second cen- 
tury discovered a Hebrew Gospel of Matthew in India ; 
and equally suggestive the kindred fact that a bishop call- 
ing himself “Metropolitan of Persia and the Great 
India” was present at the Council of Nicaea, 325 a. D.’ 
Moreover, in the earliest account of Buddha's ministry 
the story of his temptation by Mara is omitted, indi- 
cating that its appearance in later works is due to con- 
scious imitation of the Gospel narrative; and the 
legends concerning his miraculous birth, his descent 
from the Tisita heaven, the worship of the Dévas, the 
presentation in the temple, which are made so much of 
by modern writers, are not contained in the original 
PAli texts. These are additions evidently derived from 
Christian sources, just as the poem termed the “ Bhaga- 
vat-Gita”’ parodied the life of Christ in the theosophical 
dreams of its god Krishna, whose story seems to have 


a TE ES 


1 Clemens, ‘‘Stromata,’’ I., 15. 
2See ‘Indian Antiquary,’’ Vol, III. 
2K 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 423 


been inserted in the “ M/aha-Bharata” for the sake of in- 
vesting the poem with some degree of sacred authority. 

The simple point at issue is whether the Christian 
documents or the Hindu, recording these similar events, 
are entitled to priority. I have no hesitancy in assert- 
ing that the burden of proof is in favor of the Chris- 
tian writings. Neither do I hesitate to declare the 
confident assumptions that Buddhism came to Palestine 
through contact with the Essenes, and that it pro- 
claimed itself through John the Baptist, who, according 
to the advocates of this theory, was born in Beth-arabia, 
which word is alleged to have been corrupted in the 
Gospels into Bethabara, as about the most visionary 
hypothesis ever put forth by educated gentlemen. All 
this is so groundless that Lassen concedes the possi- 
bility of Christian influence even on the Purduas.' The 
first of these authors, mentioned in the note, in an ex- 
haustive article on “Religions,” says: 


The ancient religious literature of India is very extensive 
but the real ancient history of Indian religion is not 
to be gathered from it. Neither Chinese nor Indian religions 
have exercised any influence on the progress of religion in the 
west of Asia or in Europe. They formaworld apart. . . For 
ages and ages they lived quite isolated and self-sufficient—the 
Chinese either with Lao-tsze seeking the veritable Tao in the 
highest ideal of absolute isolation, or with Confucius amiably 
moralizing on the duties of the perfect man; the Indian dream- 
ing his monotonous and fantastic dreams and longing for absorp- 
tion in the eternal Brahm.— Zhe Encyclopedia Britannica. 


This testimony ought to be regarded as decisive 
against the far-fetched theory that Christianity has been 


1 Ticle, ‘‘ Outliaes of the History of Religion’’; Wilson, ‘‘ Hindu Sects’’; and 
Williams’ ‘‘ Christianity and Hinduism.”? 


424 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


enriched by “spoils” taken from the Egyptians—in 
this instance, the Buddhists. 

A curious suggestion has been made by an eminent 
Englishman. It is that, in the age when Gautama 
Buddha flourished, a mighty moral movement seems to 
have been set in operation, probably by Daniel and his 
associates in Babylon, whose force may in some degree 
account for Gautama himself. Within a hundred years 
Daniel the prophet, Gautama, also Confucius, Pytha- 
goras, and Socrates were born, and that period, from 600 
to 500 B. C., was unquestionably one of the most mo- 
mentous in human history. Materials unhappily are 
altogether too scant for a positive theory; but there is 
nothing inherently incredible in the supposition that the 
effects of Daniel’s teachings and example may have 
passed beyond Chaldea and may have found their way 
through the Hindu Kush in the train of commerce, or 
even by the sea in the wake of adventurers, Jewish, Per- 
sian, or Arabian. And though ancient heathen systems, 
as taught by Dr. Tiele, may for centuries have been 
isolated, reserved, and self-contained, there is nothing 
unreasonable in the supposition that thus during their 
formative or even their re-formatory period they may 
have been modified,,if not determined, by influences 
from without. 

An illustration of this possibility we have in the his- 
tory of Japan. What may be regarded as the native 
and most venerable faith of that interesting country is 
called Shintoism, or the Way of the Gods. In the 
“Ko-y1-kt’’—Record of Ancient Matters—we have an ex- 
position of the “ Way,” which, though we are assured 
that this bible of the Japanese has been the source of 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 425 


incalculable blessings, has little in it of an elevating 
character. It contains nothing that is distinctively 
moral, and is a strange jumble of the grotesque, the 
extravagant, and incongruous. This “Record” was 
written about the seventh century aA. D., and real 
knowledge of the nation dates no farther back than to 
the fifth century aA. p. But before the “Ko-yi-kz” was 
penned, Buddhism had commencedto make converts in 
Japan, and Chinese and Corean culture began to flour- 
ish, and by the close of the ninth century the revolu- 
tion was complete. Shintoism survived the shock of 
the invasion and yet survives even more radical inno- 
vations, but not as it was at the beginning. Reduced 
in strength, it also assimilated to itself religious ideas 
alien to its nature, and even came to interpret its most 
characteristic sayings in the light of foreign creeds. 
Since this earlier period it has been further influenced 
by Christian thought, and it would have been difficult 
to discover traces of original Shintoism in the utter- 
ances of its high priest, who favored the Parliament 
of Religions at Chicago (1893) with his presence. In 
a similar way, though probably to nothing like the 
same extent, the potent currents of spiritual and ethical 
life rising among the exiles in Babylon may have found 
an outlet into India, may have disturbed the sullen 
floods of Brahminism, and have watered the susceptible 
soul of Gautama, contributing to Buddhism in the land 
of the Ganges and the Himalayas as they did to the 
precious post-exilian literature that crowned with glory 
the region of the Jordan and Mount Lebanon. 

In our own times it is clear that Christianity, though 
rejected and denounced by heathen faiths, is effecting 


426 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


salutary changes in the aims and ideals of their adhe- 
rents. If they were not indebted to her or to Mosaism 
in the past, they are in the present. She has breathed 
into some schools of Buddhism, and into what remains 
of Shintoism, a new spirit; and though their hands are 
still the hands of Esau, their voice is beginning to be 
much like Jacob’s, the God-ordained “supplanter,’’ who 
in the fullness of the Divine purpose is destined to be 
Israel—the all-prevailing prince. Christian schools, 
Christian literature—to say nothing of the great Chris- 
tian missions—are quietly leavening heathenism with 
sentiments and aspirations that are gradually making it 
a stranger to itself. It was barely recognizable in the 
addresses of its representatives at the Chicago Con- 
gress, and though it did not acknowledge what it owed 
to the transforming power of Christianity on the social 
life, the evidences of its indebtedness were unmistaka- 
ble. A Faith that thus enriches, softens, and beautifies 
its rivals, and’ that tends to improve and elevate them 
in spite of themselves, must be greater than they all. 
How much greater, in what manner and to what degree, 
the further discussion of the subject under consideration 
in this chapter may enable the reader to determine. 

It is now possible to advance another step in the 
argument. Attention has frequently been called, par- 
ticularly during the past few years, to resemblances and 
agreements which seem to ally Christianity with other 
religions and point to a common origin. These paral- 
lels are not to be questioned. They are real and they 
are varied, though their significance, in my opinion, has 
been somewhat strained and misinterpreted by ration- 
alistic writers. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 427 


It is often overlooked that there must be something 
in common between all religions, and that if there is 
one religion entitled to be regarded as divine it must 
necessarily include in itself everything that is true in 
all the rest. Were it to deny or directly contradict a 
provable truth advocated by a rival, it would just to 
that extent prejudice its own right to supremacy. 
Christianity is not exclusive, it is inclusive; it is not 
partial but comprehensive; and it does not claim to 
be so different from every other system as to be an 
ethical and spiritual monopoly. One of its most start- 
ling and striking assumptions is that there is no unim- 
peachable doctrine or precept taught by any of the 
ethnic faiths that it does not teach; and its contention 
is, that comprehending in itself all that is worthiest in 
them it must certainly be worthier than they all. This 
thought is substantially expressed in Whittier’s poem 
called “Miriam”’: 

Truth is one: 
And, in all lands beneath the sun, 
Whoso hath eyes to see may see 
The tokens of its unity. 
No scroll of creed its fullness wraps, 
We trace it not by school-boy maps, 
Free as the sun and air it is 
Of latitudes and boundaries. 
In Vedic verse, in dull Koran, 
Are messages of good to man; 
The angels to our Aryan sires 
Talked by the earliest household fires ; 
The prophets of the elder day, 
The slant-eyed sages of Cathay, 
Read not the riddle all amiss 
Of higher life evolved from this, 


428 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Nor doth it lessen what he taught, 

Or make the gospel Jesus brought 
Less precious, that his life re-told 
Some portion of that truth of old; 
Denying not the proven seers, 

The tested wisdom of the years ; 
Confirming with his own impress 

The common law of righteousness. 
We search the world for truth ; we cull 
The good, the pure, the beautiful, 
From graven stone and written scroll, 
From all old flower-fields of the soul ; 
And, weary seekers of the best 

We come back laden from our quest, 
To find that all the sages said 

Is in the Book our mothers read. 

And all our treasure of old thought 

In his harmonious fullness wrought 
Who gathers in one sheaf complete 
The scattered blades of God’s own wheat, 
The common growth that maketh good 
His all-embracing Fatherhood. 


Yes; all the sages said, that deserved to be said, is 
assuredly in the Book “our mothers read.” This is 
undeniable; only it is usually better said and said with 
greater fullness. 

In the “Analects” Tze Kung inquires whether 
there is a word that may serve for the rule of life and 
receives this reply: “Is not ‘reciprocity’ such a word? 
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to 
others.’’! This is very well as far it goes. But how 
much superior the statement of the same general pre- 
cept by our Lord: “Whatsoever ye would that men 
should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them.” 


1 See Legge’s ‘‘ Confucius.”’ 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 429 


Michelet! tells us that the obligation to render good 
for evil is especially prominent in the laws of Manu. 
And yet the principle is nowhere so distinctly revealed 
as in the New Testament. Neither has the gospel of 
love received as noble an expression, though recognized 
elsewhere, as in our Scriptures. Five hundred years 
before Christ, Plato wrote: 


Love is our lord, supplying kindness and banishing unkind- 
ness, giving friendship and forgiving enmity, the joy of the 
good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the gods ; de- 
sired by those who have no part in him, and precious to those 
who have the better part in him; parent of delicacy, luxury, 
desire, fondness, softness, grace ; careful of the good, uncareful 
of the evil. In every word, work, wish, fear—pilot, helper, de- 
fender, saviour ; glory of gods and men; leader best and bright- 
est ; in whose footsteps let every man follow, chanting a hymn 
and joining in that fair strain with which love charms the souls 
of gods and men. 


The admirable character of this portrayal must be 
conceded; but its inferiority to Paul’s treatment of the 
same theme will be manifest to every reader of the 
thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. It has been 
suggested that the philosopher inspired the apostle; 
but even were it so, evidently the disciple has tran- 
scended the master. Probably Mohammed had studied 
Paul before he penned his tribute to love; but he failed 
to approximate in any appreciable degree to the merit 
of the original. The best that Islam has done in this 
direction we have in these words: 

Every good act is charity: your smiling in your brother’s 


face ; your putting a wanderer in the nght road; your giving 
water to the thirsty, or exhortations to others to do right. A 


1“ Bible of Humanity,” p. 295. 


430 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


man’s true wealth hereafter is the good he has done in this world 
to his fellow-man. When he dies, people will ask, What prop- 
erty has he left behind him? but the angels will ask, What good 
deeds has he sent before him ? 


Almost Christian in form and essentially Christian in 
spirit are the sentiments written in the “Shu-King”’: 
“No virtue is higher than love to all men, and there 
is no loftier aim in government than to profit all men. 

Happy union with wife and children is like the 
music of lutes and harps. And when there is concord 
among brethren the harmony is delightful and endur- 


) 


ing.” One seems to hear an ancient prophet of Israel 
speaking in the language of Zoroaster as recorded in 
the “Zend-Avesta”’: 


Blessed is he, blessed are all men to whom the living wise 
God of his own command should grant these two everlasting 
powers (immortality and purity). I believe thee, O God, to be 
the best thing of all, the source of light for the world. Every 
one shall choose thee as the sources of light, thee, thee, holiest 
Mazda! . . Who holds the earth and the skies above it? 
Who made the waters and the trees of the field? Who is in the 
winds and storms that they so quickly run? Who is the creator 
of the good-minded beings, thou Wise? Who hast made the 
kindly light and the darkness, the kindly sleep and the awak- 
ing! . . NowlI shall proclaim to all who have come to listen, 
the praises of thee, the all-wise Lord, and the hymns of the 
good Spirit. . . The reward which thou hast given to those 
of the same law as thyself, O Lord, All-knowing, that give those 
tous. May we attain to that, namely, union with thy purity for 
all eternity. . . Holiness is the best of all good. 


Confucianism likewise is not without passages in its 
sacred books of a high character, and which, though 
inferior in dignity, may be compared with correspond- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 431 


ing thoughts in the Christian Scriptures. Pope claimed 
that the name of the Chinese sage should be enshrined 
among the great because he taught men to be good. 
An example of his precepts we have in these sayings 
taken from the “ Shu-King” and “ Shih-King”’ (James 


Legge):: 


To see what is right and not do it is want of courage. 

. . He who offends against heaven has none to whom he 
can pray. . . Coarse rice for food, water to drink, the 
bended arm for a pillow—happiness may be enjoyed even with 
these ; but without virtue, both riches and honor seem to me like 
the passing cloud. . . Grieve not that men know not you; 
grieve that you know not men. . . There may be fair words 
and a humble countenance when there is little virtue. 


The admirers of Lao-tsze contend that he excelled 
Confucius in the force and scope of his moral maxims. 
In proof of this they cite the fact that he taught “Re- 
turn good for evil,’ a rule of conduct Confucius never 
quite comprehended. It is related of the latter that 
when the rule was submitted to his judgment, after 
pondering its meaning for some time, he replied: 
“What then will you return for good? Recompense 
injury with justice, and return good for good.” Such 
was the ethical limitation of the sage who has’ been 
called the Benjamin Franklin of China. To perceive 
however the true character of his teachings, excellent as 
they are, they ought to be placed side by side with the 
Sermon on the Mount; for in this way it becomes ap- 
parent that in spite of admitted resemblances the 
morality of Jesus is fuller, broader, more unselfish, and 
more spiritual than that of Confucius. 

It is generally believed that the agreements between 


432 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Buddhism and Christianity are more numerous and more 
complete than those that connect the latter with other 
ethnic faiths. This undoubtedly is the case, especially 
if we take into account the legends of Buddha’s birth, 
manifestation, renunciation, temptation, and victory, 
which, as I have suggested, may have been borrowed 
from our Gospels, the constant tradition of the church 
being that the Apostle Thomas carried them to India. 
More, however, to our present purpose are the undis- 
puted analogies in spirit and letter between the teach- 
ings of the Light of Asia and of the Light of the 
World. It ought never to be forgotten that back of 
Buddhism is Hinduism, and that the former system 
owes much of its mystical elevation to the influence of 
the latter. Buddhism has been accused of atheism 
because its founder, unlike Jesus, did not assume to 
reveal the Father, and contributed nothing to the 
world’s knowledge of his nature and attributes. What- 
ever, therefore, there is of devoutness among its ad- 
herents must be traced to the action of the “Vedas”’ ; 
and some of the ancient hymns contained in these books 
are not without affinity for several of the Davidic 
Psalms. It is well to note this fact that the amplest 
justice may be done to heathen religions. Take, there- 
fore, a few examples from this oldest form of sacred 
literature, and place these gems in immediate contact 
with Psalms 103 and 139, and Job 14, and, though the 
latter immeasurably transcend the former, their kinship 
in thought and soul will be evident to the least dis- 
cerning. 
Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice ? 
He who gives life ; He who gives strength ; 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 433 


Whose command all the bright gods revere ; 

Whose shadow is immortality. 

Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice ? 

He who through his power is the one King of the breathing 
and awakening world ; 

Who governs all, man and beast. 

Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice ? 

He whose greatness those snowy TOM EALNS, whose greatness 
the sea proclaims ; 

He through whom the sky is bright and the earth firm ; 

He through whom the heaven was established—nay, the high- 
est heaven ; 

He to whom heaven and earth, standing firm by his will, look up. 

Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice ? 

He who by his might looked even over the water-clouds— 

The clouds which gave strength and lit the sacrifice ; 

He who alone is God above all gods. . . 


The great lord of these worlds sees as if he were near. If a 
man thinks he is walking by stealth, the gods know it all. 

If a man stands or walks or hides, if he goes to lie down or to 
get up, what two people sitting together whisper, King Varuna 
knows it, he is there as the third. 

This earth too, belongs to Varuna the king, and this wide sky 
with its ends far apart. The two seas (the sky and the ocean) 
are Varuna’s loins ; he is also contained in this drop of water. 

He who should flee far beyond the sky, even he would not be 
rid of Varuna the king. His spies proceed from heaven toward 
this world ; with thousand eyes they overlook this earth. 

King Varuna sees all this, what is between heaven and earth, 
and what is beyond. He has counted the twinklings of the eyes 
of men. Asa player throws the dice, he settles all things. 

May all thy fatal nooses, which stand spread out seven by 
seven and threefold, catch the man who tells a lie, may they 
pass by him who tells the truth. . 


Let me not yet, O Varuna! enter into the house of clay ; have 
mercy, almighty, have mercy ! 
2L 


434 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


If I go along trembling, like a cloud driven by the wind ; have 
mercy, almighty, have mercy ! 

Through want of strength, thou strong and bright god, have 
I gone wrong ; have mercy, almighty, have mercy ! 

Thirst came upon the worshipper, though he stood in the midst 
of the waters; have mercy, almighty, have mercy ! 

Whenever we men, O Varuna! commit an offense before the 
heavenly host, whenever we break the law through thoughtless- 
ness; punish us not, O god, for that offense! ... 


The worth of these extracts is not to be under- 
valued because they are not equal in beauty and sub- 
limity to the Psalms. ‘They are part of the common 
treasures of the all-religion, though the quality of the 
gold may be poorer than that which is stored in the 
Hebrew Scriptures. But whatever of fellowship may 
exist between Christianity and Buddhism is not due to 
these resemblances. These rather bring the “ Vedas” and 
the Old Testament into touch with each other; the real 
correspondences between Siddartha and Christ being 
found in the “77zfztaka”’ and the “Dhammapada”’ on the 
one side side, and the Gospels and Epistles on the other. 
Not unlike the blessed law of brotherhood proclaimed 
by Jesus is the equality taught by Buddha, thus happily 
phrased by Sir Edwin Arnold: 


There is no caste in blood 
Which runneth of one hue; nor caste in tears 
Which trickle salt with all; neither comes man 
To birth with tilka-mark stamped on the brow, 
Nor sacred thread on neck. 


How, likewise, in keeping with the mind of our 
Saviour the maxims, precepts, and principles set forth 
in the accompanying excerpts: 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 435 


Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases 
by love. . . A man who foolishly does me wrong, I will return 
to him the protection of my ungrudging love. The more evil 
cometh from him, the more good shall go fromme. . . If a man 
live a hundred years and spend the whole of his time in religious 
attention and offerings to the gods, sacrificing elephants and 
horses, all this is not equal to one act of pure love in saving 
life. . . Not in the void of heaven, not in the depths of the sea, 
not by entering the rocky cliffs of the mountains, not in any of 
these places, or by any means, can a man escape the conse- 
quences of his evil deed. . . 


He who lives looking for pleasures only, his senses uncontrolled, 
idle and weak, Mara (the tempter) will certainly overcome him, 
as the wind throws down a weak tree. 

Let the wise man guard his thoughts, they are difficult to per- 
ceive, Very artful, and they rush wherever "they list ; thoughts 
well guarded bring happiness. 

As the bee collects nectar, and departs without injuring the 
flower, or its color and scent, so let the sage dwell on earth. 

Like a beautiful flower, full of color but without scent, are the 
fine but fruitless words of him who does not act accordingly. 
But like a beautiful flower, full of color and full of scent, are the 
fine and fruitful words of him who acts accordingly. 

The succoring of mother and father, the cherishing of child 
and wife, and the following of a lawful calling, this is the greatest 
blessing. 

The giving alms, a religious life, aid rendered to relations, 
blameless acts, this is the greatest blessing. 

The abstaining from sins and the avoiding them, the eschewing 
of intoxicating drink, diligence in good deeds, reverence and hu- 
mility, contentment and gratefulness, this is the greatest blessing. 

He who lives a hundred years, vicious and unrestrained, a life 
of one day is better if a man is virtuous and reflecting. 

Let no man think lightly of evil, saying in his heart, It will 
not come near unto me. Even by the falling of water-drops a 
water-pot is filled ; the fool becomes full of evil even if he gathers 
it little by little. 


436 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Not to commit any sin, to do good, and to purify one’s mind, 
that is the teaching of the Awakened. [This is one of the most 
solemn verses among the Buddhists. ] 

Let us live happily then, not hating those who hate us! Let 
us dwell free from hatred among men who hate! 

Let us live happily then, free from greed among the greedy ! 
Let us dwell free from greed among men who are greedy ! 

Let us live happily then, though we call nothing our own! 
We shall be like the bright gods, feeding on happiness ! 


I know I have given a fair idea of Siddartha’s qual- 
ity as a religious teacher in these quotations, and 
additional citations would only prove superfluous. I 
have selected as far as I could the best; for I have 
been anxious to show however ennobling and purifying 
his thought and precepts the Buddha never surpassed 
Jesus of Nazareth. The higher we exalt the Sage of 
India, as he is great only as he resembles Christ, in the 
nature of things the higher is Christ exalted. Conse- 
quently, I am not tempted by an imagined necessity to 
depreciate the moral grandeur of the former in the in- 
terests of the latter. All that can be claimed on the 
score of benevolence, generousness, and self-denial for 
Buddha I am more than disposed to concede; for these 
are the very features which lead men to think of him in 
connection with Jesus, and which, while bringing the 
two teachers together, enable us to form some idea of 
the spiritual gulf by which they are separated. 

While Christianity has spoken every veracious and 
gracious word uttered by any of the other great religious 
systems, she has likewise embodied in her doctrines the 
governing and distinctive ideals, when not absolutely 
false and degrading, by which they have been or are 
respectively characterized. The Egyptians taught with 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON = 437 


more or less distinctness the resurrection of the dead, 
concerning which M. Paul Pierret writes : 

The life of man was assimilated by the Egyptians to the march 
of the sun over our heads, and his death to the setting of that 
orb, which disappears at the western horizon of the heavens, tu 
return on the morrow victorious over darkness. The terrestrial 
existence was considered as a solar day, and death, the issue of 
that day, was an image of the course of the sun in the lower 
hemisphere. The Egyptian descended into the tomb to become 
an Osirian (nocturnal sun), and to resuscitate as Horus (rising 
sun). 

But if these ancient worshipers recognized the ulti- 
mate subordination of death to life, they contemplated 
with wondering awe the origins of life and magnified 
them in their ritual. Mrs. Lydia Maria Child inquires : 

Is it strange that they regarded with reverence the great mys- 
tery of human birth? Were they impure thus to regard it? 
Or are we impure that we do not so regard it? Let us mot 
smile at their mode of tracing the infinite and incomprehensible 
Cause throughout all the mysteries of nature, lest by so doing we 
cast the shadow of our own grossness on their patriarchal sim- 
plicity. 

Mrs. Child might also have reminded her readers 
that the Egyptians were the first to make the limita- 
tions of their powers an acknowledged article of their 
religious faith, They perceived the veil of mystery 
hanging over the face of the universe, and counted it 
next to sacrilege to attempt its removal. Hence the 
sphinx. These strange stone colossi were arranged 
in rows, through which the devout proceeded to the 
temple, declaring, as Clemens Alexandrinus says, “that 
the doctrine concerning God is enigmatical.”! Chris- 


1 See “‘ Egyptian Belief in Modern Thought,” James Bonwick, F. R. G. S. 


438 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


tianity has not failed to emphasize these beliefs. She 
too announces a resurrection “ both of the just and the 
unjust’’; she too venerates maternity and the supreme 
dignity of life—for the life is more than meat and the 
body than raiment ’’—and she, with hushed voice, re- 
minds the world that “the Lord said he would dwell in 
the thick darkness.’’ Well may we all ponder the 
words : 


‘‘ Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the 
number of his years be searched out.’’ ‘‘ Who hath ascended up 
into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his 
fists ? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath estab- 
lished all the ends of the earth?’’ ‘‘O the depth of the riches 
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable 
are his judgments and his ways past finding out!’’! 


Nor is there anything that is really true in the Parsee 
faith to which Christianity refuses cordial assent. If, as 
Miss Cornelia Sorabji informs us in the October 
“Nineteenth Century” (1893), Zoroastrianism is a 
pure form of theism in which the sun, fire, and light 
are received as the greatest expressions of the presence 
of deity; and if the conflict between Ormuzd and 
Ahriman but denotes the perpetual warfare between 
good and evil which calls for the exercise of man’s free 
volition to decide ; and if the trinity sanctioned by this 
creed simply teaches the interblending of Oromasdes, 
the divine goodness, and Mithras, the eternal intellect, 
with Arimanés, the mundane soul, the Bible need not 
hesitate to admit that in these particulars, though of 
course with variations of statement and of detail, it is 
quite close to the “ Zend-Avesta,” The Scriptures also 


11 Kings 8:12; Job 36: 26; Prov. 30: 4; Rom.11: 33. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 439 


employ light as the symbol of Jehovah; they also rec- 
ognize a conflict between good and evil, though they do 
not go so far as to imply an equality of any real kind be- 
tween these powers or forces; and they too avow a 
trinity, indistinctly discerned Ae erroneously stated by 
Zoroaster, in which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost abide, 
one in essence and equal in every divine perfection. 
The religion of the “ Vedas” seems to extol the joy- 
ousness of existence. These early songs of the Hindus 
are full of life, gladness, and of healthful simplicity. 
The world was young when they were written, and the 
soft light of history's dawning fell gently on infant 
races. Brahminism however discovered the vanity of 
all things and revealed the shorelessness of human 
misery, while Buddha came to save man from desire, 
the source of all his woe, by the renunciation and im- 
molation of self. The Greeks on the other hand found 
good, if not goodness, everywhere, and adored the 
beautiful. These ideas are not so alien to our faith as 
many persons may suppose. Neither is the doctrine 
concerning filial piety as taught by Confucius: 


He who serves his parents in a high station will be free from 
pride ; in a low situation will be free from insubordination “arid 
among his equals will not be quarrelsome. In a high situation 
pride leads to ruin ; in a low situation, insubordination leads to 
punishment ; among equals, quarrelsomeness leads to the wield- 
ing of weapons. If these three things be not put away, though 
a son every day contribute beef, mutton, and pork to nourish 
his parents, he is not filial. 


When the Chinese sage thus commends the duty of 
children he is in harmony with Moses’ law: “ Honor 
thy father and thy mother ; that thy days may be long 


440 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”? 
But when he and his followers carry this legitimate 
principle so far as to extol the past unduly, to worship 
dead things and to block the path of progress with the 
corpses of former generations, Christianity rejects this 
abject submission to the tyranny of the tomb. With 
the early Hindu she believes that life was designed to 
be a joy; with the Parsee she realizes that evil has 
saddened it; with the Brahmin she perceives in conse- 
quence its wretchedness ; with the Buddhist she teaches 
that deliverance can only come through self-denial and 
self-sacrifice; with the Greek she praises the beautiful, 
especially in character and conduct, and with the Con- 
fucianist she venerates the days that are gone, only 
unlike him, she attaches greater importance to the 
present and to the possibilities of the future. She is 
thus at one with these creeds in many things, and yet 
she goes beyond them all, is singularly separate from 
them all, and is in a sense, as we shall see, superior to 
them all in the range and scope of her teachings and 
the beneficence of her influence. 

We are now at the final stage of this argument. 
Agreements are followed by differences. Convergence 
gives way to divergence. Christianity is unique. In 
spirituality, in morality, in practical helpfulness, in 
forceful vigor, in the elevation of its motives, in the 
clearness of its insight, in the extent of its social 
power, and in the efficacy of its redeeming grace no 
other religion can possibly be compared with it. There 
is combined in it the most absolute simplicity of 
thought with the most profound sublimity of doctrine; 


1“ The Religions of China,” p ,2 juucs Legge. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON A4I 


the excessive light of revelation linked with the impene- 
trable darkness of mystery; the most ecstatic hopes 
allied with the most self-denying duties; the most 
crushing defeats connected as conditions precedent to 
the most glorious victories ; and its most direct achieve. 
ments are somehow always accomplished by the most 
circuitous ‘methods. Christianity, therefore, stands by 
itself. With all of its fellowship for certain phases of 
alien faiths, it cannot be classified with them. The 
efforts of some writers to reduce it to the common 
level of other systems are bungling failures; for to the 
least discerning eye, after all these endeavors, the lofty 
mountain still stands as proof that, while it shares in 
the monotonous plain, it departs therefrom and towers 
above all rivals. This remarkable distinction, this dif- 
ference, almost annulling every mark of agreement, 
impressed itself on the mind of Napoleon, who spoke 
on the subject in this remarkable manner: 


Paganism is the work of man. One can here read imbecility. 
What do these gods, so boastful, know more than other mortals ? 
these legislators, Greek or Roman: this Numa ; this Lycurgus ; 
these priests of India, or of Memphis ; this Confucius ; this Mo- 
hammed? Absolutely nothing. They have made a perfect 
chaos of morals. There is not one among them all who has 
said anything new in reference to our future destiny, to the soul, 
to the essence of God, to the creation. Enter the sanctuaries of 
Paganism ; you there find perfect chaos, a thousand contra- 
dictions, war between the gods, impurity, and abominations 
adored, all sorts of corruption festering in the thick shades, with 
the rotten wood, the idol, and the priest. Does this honor God, 
or does it dishonor him? Are these religions and these gods to 
be compared with Christianity? Truth should embrace the uni- 
verse. Such is Christianity—the only religion which destroys 
sectional prejudices; the only one which proclaims the unity 


442 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


and the absolute brotherhood of the whole human family ; the 
only one which is purely spiritual; in fine, the only one which 
assigns to all, without distinction, for a true country, the bosom 
of the Creator, God. Christ proved that he was the Son of the 
Eternal by his disregard of time. All his doctrines signify only 
and the same thing—eternity. 


Other notable leaders of the world’s thought agree 
with the French emperor in this estimate. Whether 
they enter into explanations or not, scientists, philolo- 
gists, editors, travelers, perceive very clearly that in 
strength, vitality, and in wholesome influence on society 
the religions of the East are unspeakably inferior to 
the religion of the West. Mr. Donald Ferguson, co- 
editor of the “Ceylon Observer,” bears witness in 
the following language to the pitiable weakness of 
Buddhism : 


The great obstacle to the spread of education in Ceylon has 
been, and is, the fact that the large proportion of the Buddhist 
monks are lazy, immoral, and utterly careless of the spiritual 
and mental welfare of the people. For support of this state- 
ment I have only to refer, not to the writings of any Christian 
missionary, but to the recently published report of Dr. Bowles 
Daly, one of Col. Olcott’s colleagues, and Buddhist Temporali- 
ties Commissioner. His words are as strong as any ever used 
by a missionary. There is scarcely a case of false coining in 
Ceylon in which a Buddhist monk is not implicated. 


In the same direction run the remarks of an eminent 
Englishman when reviewing Buddhistic teachings and 
influence. He says: 


Its object is not the good of the people in their social condi- 
tion. [And having shown that its moral rules are restricted to a 
special class, commending self-denial, mendicancy, and estrange- 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON = 443 


ment from domestic and social obligations, he continues pleeeln 
this is the whole of the Vinaya or Buddhist discipline conceived ; 
itis a set of rules for individuals separated from society, in 
whom all natural feeling is to be suppressed, all passions and 
desires extinguished, consistently enough with the doctrine that 
life is the source of all evil, and that one means of counteract- 
ing it is by checking the increase of living things.} 


And if we may rely on the characterization of this 
system by St. Hilaire as “a spiritualism without soul, a 
virtue without duty, a moral without liberty, a charity 
without love, a world without nature and without God,” 
we can easily credit the damaging allegations brought 
against it by Professor Knox, who has had every op- 
portunity of studying its normal action on the people 
of Japan. Writing from Tokio, he records the results 
of his observation in these words: 


The system is not consistent with pure morality. Truth dis- 
appears and excuses for evil can always be found. There is no 
solid ground beneath the feet. Buddhism and immorality flour- 
ish together. When emperors shaved their heads and became 
monks, when nobles were priests and the land was covered with 
temples, when Buddhism was everywhere supreme, then sensu- 
ality ran riot. The imported civilization made the rulers of the 
land effeminate debauchees. All was corrupt and the nation 
went down to dire disaster.? 


An illustration of the practical working of Japanese 
religions is furnished by the accompanying singular 
advertisement which has been published lately by a 
paper issued at Kobe: 


When my daughter was sick I prayed the Kompira of Sanuki 


1 Wilson’s ‘* Essays on Religion of the Hindus,” p. 360. 
2 See “‘ Christian Thought,”’ 1888. 


444 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Province for her recovery, pledging to let her pay a thanks- 
giving visit to the temple by creeping on her hands and feet all 
the way through, in imitation of cattle, if she recovered. The 
prayer was heard and she recovered by the miraculous influence 
of the deity. But, after all, it is impossible for a tender girl to 
creep several hundreds of miles to Sanuki. I should therefore 
like to find a substitute for her, and if any one offering himself 
or herself for such be found suitable to the task I will offer such 
a person one thousand dollars. 


And this is a specimen of the ethnic creeds some 
enthusiastic sentimentalists would substitute for Chris- 
tianity or would so blend with Christianity as to pro- 
duce a composite faith, which, like a composite photo- 
graph, would swallow up individual distinctions and 
excellences and leave only collective commonplaces and 
mediocrities. Before assisting in such unwise, not to 
say unholy nuptials, let the sanguine soul pause and 
ponder what Professor A. M. Fairbairn has written 
relative to the comparative force and preciousness of 
the Bible. He is discussing “The Races in Religion,” 
and having the Hebrews for his special theme, he 
says: 

The book which has been incontestably the mightiest in the 
world for good is the Book which embodies the religious 
thoughts and aspirations, faith and hopes, of this ancient and 
in other respects almost despicable people. The Hindus are our 
own kinsmen. The blood in their veins was as pure Indo- 
European as ours, perhaps much purer, when on the banks of 
the Indus or the Sarasvati they sang their old Vedic hymns. 
But these hymns can never be to us or our sons what the Psalms 
of the Semitic Hebrews have been for centuries to the noblest 
Indo-European nations. No Aryan faith was more spiritual or 
exalted than the Zoroastrian, but while Moses and the prophets 
have been living religious forces, studied and revered alike by the 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 445 


simplest and most cultured intellects of the West, the ‘‘Avesta’’ 
ceased ages since to be a religious power, save to a scattered 
remnant of its ancient people, and is now only a study for a few 
scholars curious as to the religions and languages of mankind. 
In that Hebrew literature, which has become the sacred litera- 
ture of our most civilized races, and made the very blood and 
bone of their religious life, there must be something profoundly 
universal and quickening, which finds and satisfies the deepest 
spiritual wants of man! 


And confirming this impartial judgment, Professor 
Sir Monier Williams, of Oxford, one of the ablest San- 
skrit scholars in the world, and who in the earlier stages 
of his career was inclined to rank Christianity with 
other ethnic faiths, expressed some striking sentiments 
when addressing a company of missionaries, and which 
I rejoice to be able to quote: 


Go forth, then, ye missionaries, in your Master’s name; go 
forth into all the world, and, after studying all its false religions 
and philosophies, go forth and fearlessly proclaim to suffering 
humanity the plain, the unchangeable, the eternal facts of the 
gospel—nay, I might almost say the stubborn, the unyielding, 
the inexorable facts of the gospel. Dareto be downright with 
all the uncompromising courage of your own Bible, while with 
it your watchwords are love, joy, peace, reconciliation. Be fair, 
be charitable, be Christlike, but let there be no mistake. Let it 
be made absolutely. clear that Christianity cannot, must not, be 
watered down to suit the palate of either Hindu, Parsee, Con- 
fucianist, Buddhist, or Mohammedan, and that whosoever wishes 
to pass from the false religion to the true can never hope to do 
so by the rickety planks of compromise, or by the help of falter- 
ing hands held out by half-hearted Christians. He must leap 
the gulf in faith, and the living Christ will spread his everlasting 
arms beneath, and land him safely on the Eternal Rock. 

I have said enough to put you on your guard when you hear 


1“ Philosophy of Religion and History,” p, 267. 
2M 


446 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


people speak too highly of the sacred books of the East, other 
than our own Bible. Let us not shut our eyes to what is excel- 
lent and true and of good report in these books; but let us 
teach Hindus, Zoroastrians, Confucianists, Buddhists, and Mo- 
hammedans that there is only one sacred Book that can be their 
mainstay, their support in that awful hour when they pass alone 
into the unseen world. There is only one Book to be clasped to 
the heart—only one gospel that can give peace to the fainting 
soul then. It is the sacred volume which contains that faithful 
saying worthy to be accepted of all men, women, and children, 
in the east and in the west, in the north and in the south, ‘‘ that 
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’’ 


Of peculiar interest are these representations in 
view of an article published in the “ Forum,” (April, 
1894), from the pen of Virchand A. Gandhi, who is 
anxious to show why Christian missions have failed in 
India. The main contention of his paper may properly 
be challenged; for according to a statement made 
in a recent issue of the “Daily News,” (London), 
discussing Col. Olcott and William Besant, out of a 
Hindu population of two hundred and fifty-four millions 
there are ten times as many nominal Christians as 
there are Buddhists. But without pressing this point, 
it is instructive to note that he attributes this alleged 
failure of missions to the following causes : 


Christians, being meat-eaters and wine-imbibers, seem to us 
to represent a religion devoid of humane practices ; for, to the 
mild Hindu, brotherhood does not mean simply the brotherhood 
of man, but the brotherhood of all living beings. That repre- 
sentatives of nations who fatten and kill for selfish gratification 
millions of hogs and steers a day should preach humanity to an 
already humane community, is beyond the comprehension of 
the Indian mind. I am not saying that Christianity requires a 
man to eat animal food, but there is a prevalent opinion in India 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 447 


that a person becomes a Christian simply to gratify his appetite, 
to eat prohibited food and to drink intoxicating liquor. When 
a Hindu is seen going into a church, his co-religionists say 
nothing ; but if he is seen going into a grog shop, his friends 
say, ‘‘ He has turned a Christian.’’ Indeed, they seem to think 
that animal food and spirituous liquors are inseparable incidents 
of Christianity. 


It surely goes without saying that the churches of 
Christ condemn the excessive use of stimulants, and 
that some among them forbid their use entirely. Nor 
can words too harsh be employed in characterizing the 
traders of the West who seek polluted gain by intro- 
ducing strong drink among the people of the East, 
whose religion has not imparted moral strength where- 
with to resist temptation. But while we bitterly de- 
nounce the mercenary conduct of the traffickers in 
strong drink, we cannot fora moment admit the claim 
to superior “humane practices” set forth so confidently 
on the part of Hindu cults by Gandhi. Descriptions 
already given in these pages conclusively refute this 
assumption. But if additional evidence is required, it 
is furnished by Rev. Dr. Marcus Dods, who in his 
“Mohammed, Buddha, and Christ” (p. 176), presents 
some startling facts, facts sufficient to warrant his 
deliberate estimate given in these words: 


Cruelty and immorality, the two vices against which primitive 
Buddhism most emphatically declared itself, are here (Mongolia) 
common and unopposed. The Buddhist who before sitting 
down will brush his seat lest he crush an insect, will slaughter 
his prisoner in cold blood; and the religion which originally 
laid such stress upon meditation and wisdom, is now represented, 
if we except Burma, by a priesthood that is disgracefully igno- 
rant. 


448 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


Even in Chicago some of these gentle and humane 
Hindus defended the Suttee fires, which only the vigor 
of Christian philanthropy has been able to quench.’ 
As the profligate young man painted by Terence extenu- 
ates his lewdness by the example of Jove, so the wor- 
shipers of Krishna justify licentiousness by the example 
of their god; and the followers of Mahadeva, smokers of 
intoxicating drugs, and the devotees of Kali, blood- 
thirsty Thugs, have been assimilated to the degradation 
they have deified. And in the same way the nominal 
adherents of Buddha seem to come under a spell which 
absorbs them selfishly in themselves, and which renders 
them practically indifferent to the well-being of others. 
And yet, by a singular infatuation, some Western 
writers are disposed to extol the humane influences of 
Eastern religions, whereas were these influences preva- 
lent in England and America the population would be 
permitted to perish of its own vices, the education of 
the masses would be ignored, and our civilization 
would decline for lack of vigor, enterprise, common 
sense, and even common veracity. When I read the 
high encomiums pronounced by gushing eccentricity 
on ethnic faiths designed to discredit Christianity, I 
observe with what facility details militating against 
such eulogies are passed by. So madly in love with 
other religions are some of our modern rhapsodists 
that they have even imagined the creed of the Mussul- 
man to surpass in moral worth that of the Christian. 

I have already rebuked this spirit in connection with 
the absurd panegyrics on Hinduism, and it may be 
sufficient in reply to recent ecstacies over Mohammed- 


1 Intro. to “ Baptists in History,’’ by author of this volume. 


THE ARGUMENT FRO.I COMPARISON 449 


anism to quote the following testimony published from 
the pen of a reliable writer. He first of all shows 
that the Moors are very suspicious of the men who have 
made the famous pilgrimage, and quotes the accom- 
panying proverbs: 


If a man has made the pilgrimage to Mecca once—keep your 
eye on him. 

If he has made it twice—don’ ¢ trust him. 

If he has made it three times —snove into the next street. 


He then adds at some length : 


There are many religious sects among the Moslem Moors, 
some of which are intensely fanatical. The cities and towns of 
these fanatics are entirely closed to Europeans, Christians, and 
Jews. One or two daring men have ventured, at various times, 
to penetrate within the walls, but when discovered, the adven- 
turers have either had to flee for their lives, or death has 
speedily met them. At their festivals the most horrible prac- 
tices are indulgedin. During my second week’s stay in Tan- 
gier, some thirty or more men of the Hamacha and Hamduchia 
sects suddenly appeared in the Sdko, and to the accompaniment 
of the most weird music they slowly advanced into the town. 
They yelled and made shocking grimaces. Suddenly they com- 
menced to throw into the air axes and daggers, which fell down 
upon their faces and bodies, wounding them and causing the 
blood to flow freely. They entered the town streaming with 
blood, and behaving generally like demons. This exhibition 
was intended to prove that after their pilgrimage to the saint's 
tomb they were proof against lethal weapons. A missionary 
told me that shocking as was this particular procession, it was 
nothing as compared with the Assourz (I am not sure of the 
spelling), whose annual performance strikes terror into Jews and 
Europeans.— 7he Christian World (London). 


While we may admit the shortcomings of nominal 
Christians, and while we are far from claiming that in 


450 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


every respect Christianity has been successful, we sub- 
mit whether from all the evidence it is not clear 
that as a force quickening and refining society, 
Christianity is not immeasurably superior to all its 
rivals? This in my judgment is its primary and most 
apparent characteristic by which it is differentiated 
from all other creeds. Conceding agreements, conced- 
ing that they hold in common many beautiful senti- 
ments, they part company, for some reason, when these 
sentiments are to be rendered operative. As in the 
history of steam several individuals at various times 
contended for the principle involved, but were excelled 
by James Watt, who discovered how to apply it, so 
Buddhist, Parsee, Confucianist and the rest have 
accentuated precepts also affirmed by Jesus of Naza- 
reth, but only he has disclosed the secret by which 
they can be transmuted into the life of society. What 
is this secret? If disclosed it is an open one, and if open 
it can be imparted. The answer to this inquiry con- 
stitutes the second great mark by which Christianity 
is distinguished from all other systems. 

This conquering moral energy of our faith is in part 
explained by Prof. Sir Monier Williams in a few strik- 
ing sentences. Referring to the many volumes pub- 
lished under the direction of Max Miiller, he says : 

For myself I claim that in the discharge of my duties for 
about forty years I have devoted as much time as any man liv- 
ing to the study of these sacred books, and I have found the 
one keynote, the one diapason, so to speak, of all these so-called 
sacred books. Whether it be the ‘‘Vedas’’ of the Brahmin, the 
‘«Puranas’’ of the Saiva, the ‘‘Koraz’’ of the Mohammedan, the 


‘‘Zend-Avesta’’ of the Parsee, or the ‘‘ 77/pztaka’’ of the Buddhist, 
the one. keynote, the one reference which you will find through 


5 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON = 451 


all of them, is salvation by works, They all say salvation 
must be purchased, must be bought with a price, but the sole 
price, the sole purchase money must be our own works and 
deservings. 


On the other hand the Bible teaches that when we 
were without strength in due time Christ died for the 
ungodly, and that God commended his love toward us 
in this that while we were yet sinners he gave his Son 
to die for us. Here is the vital difference. Jesus is 
Redeemer, Saviour, the propitiation for the sins of the 
world, through whom humanity receives the fullness of 
grace unto eternal life. What Buddhist ever affirmed 
this or anything like this of Siddartha? No Chinese 
teacher ever dreamt of saying that Confucius had 
appeared to lay down his life for the sheep; and no 
Parsee ever supposed that Zoroaster had atoned for 
the iniquity of the people, or that through his inter- 
cession the Holy Ghost would come for the regen- 
eration of mankind. What devout Mussulman ever 
considered Mohammed as anything more than a 
prophet sent especially to proclaim the unity of God? 
None of the founders of ethnic faiths ever claimed, as 
Jesus of Nazareth did, to be a ransom for the race, or 
taught that God so loved the world as to give his Son, 
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish. 
And it may confidently be added that nowhere in the 
‘‘ Fo-Sho-Fing-Tsan-King,” the “Vinaya Texts,’ the 
Satapatha-Bréhmana,’ the “Lé2 Kz,” the “ Zend- 
Avesta,” or other kindred works is there even the sus- 
picion of such language. It is exclusively Christian. 
“Confucianism and Taoism,” writes Dr. Legge, “teach 
nothing at all akin to it. ‘Herein is love, not that we 


452 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to 
be the propitiation for our sins.’ No Confucian or 
Taoist writer has ever had such facts to make known 
to his countrymen. In this respect there is no com- 
parison between the religions of China and ours.” 

It may fairly be charged on heathen systems of every 
name that they have in reality no conception of salva- 
tion at all. The word “salvation” in some of its forms 
may be employed, but the substance bears no resem- 
blance to that for which it stands in the Bible. When 
used by the Hindu it does not denote a blessing avail- 
able to all races, nations, and tongues, and annulling all 
limitations, geographical, chronological, and ethnologi- 
cal; but rather an attainment restricted toa few favored 
individuals of a particular section of the human family. 

Kapila, one of the great teachers of the East, did 
indeed strive to extend the privileges of what he called 
“salvation”? to some distinguished persons born in the 
lower orders of society and to some chosen representa- 
tives of the despised weaker sex; but somehow even 
the larger. view of Buddha has failed to reconcile the 
Hindu mind to such concessions. More than half 
of the population of India languishes beneath the ban 
of exclusion, and are permitted neither hope for the 
life that now is nor for the life that is to come. And 
this narrow and restricted something, whether taught 
by Brahmin or Buddhist, consists essentially in de. 
stroying the individual, not in saving him. The path 
prescribed is the path of asceticism, and he who seeks 
to pursue it must be content to do so in his own 
strength, as he has been promised no divine grace, be- 


. 1 “The Religions of China,’’ p. 298. 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 453 


ginning with his personal moral renewal, to assist him 
in subduing the proud and rebellious flesh. Alienation 
from friends and family, solitude, fastings, mortifiea- 
tion and penances, self-oblivion and meditation, the 
gradual extinction of emotional and intellectual life are 
the prices demanded for a victory that amounts to the 
literal annihilation of self. The devotee destroys 
thought, feeling, volition, paralyzes nerves and deadens 
muscles and reaches a state in which he is not affected 
by cold, heat, or by tempests and sunshine. By the 
process of indifference and apathy he comes to see no 
difference between beauty and deformity, proportion 
and disproportion, and gradually he is raised even above 
moral distinctions and attains to such perfection that 
vice and stupidity are just the same to him as virtue 
and wisdom. 

In sharp contrast with this wretched scheme of self- 
murder stands the Bible doctrine of salvation. By this 
we are taught that man, though a sinner and cursed by 
sin, can be delivered from the bane of existence 
through the grace of God in Christ Jesus. It holds 
that left to himself his inevitable portion would be 
misery forever, as wrong-doing is the source of un- 
happiness, and must continue to be so as long as it 
survives. The aim of our Saviour’s mission is to 
rescue the sinner from the retributive consequences of 
transgression by delivering him from the habit of trans- 
gression itself. And in doing this, as iniquity tends 
to debase, darken, and narrow the mind, and harden 
and shrivel the heart, freedom from its power must 
bring intellectual and moral quickening and enlarge- 
ment. Hence Christianity does not pretend to be 


454 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


saving the individual by effacing him, but by develop- 
ing his nature along lines that give to him the full 
enjoyment of his own being, and that qualify him and 
impel him so to work and sacrifice that his fellow- 
creatures may likewise enjoy theirs. Thus the salva- 
tion proclaimed is for both worlds, and gives saintly 
manhood to earth and glorified sainthood to heaven. 

Professor C. P. Tiele, in his “ Britannica”’ article, 
already quoted from, points out the one-sidedness of 
the Semitic and the Aryan races, and shows how the 
deliverance revealed in the New Testament is unique, 
differing from everything taught, whether by Islam or 
Buddhism, and elevating while enlarging the whole be- 
ing of man: 


The former [the Semitic]—‘‘ represents an important relig- 
ious idea, the absolute sovereignty of the one God, toward whom 
man, being nothing himself, has only one duty, that of tacit obe- 
dience ; it exalts the divine, not combining it with, but opposing 
it to, the human, which it despises, and therefore neglects the 
development of ethics. Buddhism, on the contrary, neglects the 
divine, preaches the final salvation of man [of some men] from 
the miseries of existence through the power of his own self- 
renunciation ; and, therefore, as it is atheistic in its origin, it 
very soon becomes infected by the most fantastic mythology and 
the most childish superstitions.’’ 


That is, it first paralyzes the individual and then 
corrupts and blights the community. 


If religion really is the synthesis of dependence and liberty, 
one might say that Islam represents the former, Buddhism the 
latter element only, while Christianity does full justice to both 
of them. Christianity, the pure and unalloyed at least, has 
fused dependence and liberty, the divine and the human, religion 
and ethics into an indispensable unity. 


a ee 


Ae. a 


— 


= 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 455 


And when the soul realizes this dependence on the 
Almighty and receives his assurance of spiritual and 
eternal life, and when it freely, from choice, seeks to 
follow the way of holiness, then the divine has entered 
into abiding fellowship with the human, and salvation, 
according to the Gospels, has been experienced. 

Not only is this conception entirely absent from the 
faiths of the East, but the doctrine of God’s incarna- 
tion as revealed in the New Testament, likewise has 
no parallel in any of the many volumes devoted to the 
teachings of sages and reformers. Only the Christ 
claimed to have power to raise the dead, to re-animate 
dead souls, because of his exclusive Sonship. “In the 
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 
and the Word was God. The same was in the begin- 
ning with God. . . In him was life, and the life was the 
light of men,” is language incapable of application to 
any other being who ever assumed to be a teacher sent 
from God. Confucius said of himself ; 


The sage and the man of perfect virtue—how dare I rank 
myself with them? It may be simply said of me that I strive to 
become such without satiety and teach others without weariness. 

. . In letters Iam perhaps equal to other men, but the char- 
acter of the perfect man carrying out in his conduct what he 
professes, is what I have not yet attained to.—Analects, VIL, 


F?; SF: 


Evidently he would not have dared to exclaim 
with Jesus of Nazareth: “Who among you convinceth 
me of sin?” And the biographies of Buddha and 
Mohammed prove conclusively that they had no such 
consciousness of absolute moral perfection. 

Yet we cannot think of a real redemption being 


456 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


wrought out for humanity, and made effective in 
humanity by any personage not in himself exempt from 
every moral infirmity and free from every liability to 
bias and error. But infallibility in thought, motive, and 
deed, is an attribute of Godhood, and cannot be com- 
municated to the creature. ‘The angels he chargeth 
with folly.” For Jesus, therefore, to be sinless and to 
be unerring in judgment must be in the highest sense 
divine. 

And as the ethnic religions know nothing of the 
salvation proclaimed by Christianity, and have no 
founder by whom it could be made possible, neither 
have they any idea of an atonement through which in 
the first instance its blessings were secured to man- 
kind. Dr. Legge assures us that the oblations pre- 
sented by Confucian worshipers are not regarded as 
propitiatory offerings. Expiation or substitution has 
never formed a part of Chinese theology, though at 
times, rulers like T’ang the Successful, have themselves 
been prepared to die for the welfare of the people. 
No one ever suspected Mohammed of being in vicari- 
ous sacrifice for the world, and there is no sufficient 
reason for supposing that Buddha ever thought of 
this. This kind of mediation, however specifically 
defined, is limited to the expiatory sufferings of our 
Lord. In some real sense “he bore our sins in his 
own body on the tree,” and “died the just for the un- 
just that he might bring us to God.” Unquestionably 
the doctrine of salvation discriminates Christianity 
from all other systems, a salvation that transforms 
man’s moral nature, and reacts beneficially on society, 
through the incarnation and atonement of Jesus Christ. 


OS .-  e 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 457 


There are other differences, those for instance that 
relate to the church on earth, and to the nature of the 
life beyond the grave; but these call for no special 
mention. The leading and most radical distinctions 
have been presented, and these are enough to show, 
that while our religion may have much in common with 
pagan creeds, it is separated from them all by a cleav- 
age as unmistakable as it is gracious and glorious. Just 
as the poet, a Chaucer, Wordsworth, or Longfellow; 
or as the statesman, a Gladstone, Bismarck, or Blaine, 
is one with the race by the ordinary qualities of human 
nature, and without which he would not be a human 
being at all, but towers above his fellows, and is differ- 
entiated from them by the force of his genius and the 
grasp of his intellect, so Christianity, though allied to 
other cults by agreements and sympathies, rises superior 
to them all by the grace and grandeur of the great re- 
demption it proclaims. 

A novel method of enforcing the comparison we 
have presented in this argument has been adopted 
by the authorities of the British Museum. They 
have recently devoted space to a rapidly growing 
collection of objects illustrating the religions of the 
world. The smallest room is occupied with articles re- 
lating to Christianity ; the second and larger apartment 
to those that pertain to Brahminism, Islam, Shintoism, 
and Confucianism ; while the third and largest space is 
given up to Buddhism in all its forms. It is worthy of 
note that the size of these exhibits is in inverse propor- 
tion to the actual value of the system they represent. 
As the faith of humanity rises in intelligence, spirit- 
uality, and philanthropy, the less numerous become 


458 TITE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


the cbjects by which it can be symbolized. Shintoism 
is represented in the Museum, among other things, by 
the curiously cut strips of paper hung up for supersti- 
tious reasons in temples and other sacred places; and 
Buddhism by the apparatus employed in Japan, with 
braziers and rosaries, and one hundred and eight sticks 
denoting the same number of wicked beings, for the 
purpose of exorcising evil spirits, just as Romanism by 
relics, beads, crucifix, pallium, cassock, alba, mitre, and 
crosier made itself more conspicuous at the Columbian 
Exposition than Protestanism. The truer the creed 
the fewer the portable signs of its character. Show- 
features of a church decrease in number as the church 
increases in spiritual power. Unadulterated Christi- 
anity cannot compete with Buddhism or Shintoism, or 
any of the other ethnic “isms” in idols, amulets, 
fetiches, talismans, sorceries, and other superstitious 
flummery. The evidences of its exalted character can- 
not be housed and catalogued; for they exist in the 
men and women who have been morally transformed, 
and in the life and advancement of communities which 
have been molded by its spirit. Thus judged, the 
meagreness of its display in the Britism Museum may 
be taken as a token of the largeness and sovereignty 
of its influence on the earth, It cannot be bound; it 
cannot be labelled. By itself it stands, defying classi- 
fication with its rivals. And being alone, the inference 
grows stronger and stronger that its comprehensive and 
yet exceptional nature is due to the -divinity of its 
origin. 


Socrates is reported to have said, “I would be 


THE ARGUMENT FROM COMPARISON 459 


gladly refuted if I say aught untrue; and would gladly 
refute another if untrue; but not more glad than to 
be myself refuted if untrue.” In this spirit have I 
sought to prepare this book; and in this spirit 
ought the reader to give it consideration. Much de- 
pends on the state of the mind, on its receptiveness 
and hospitableness, when addressed by controversial 
thought. It may be so biased, so fortressed, locked, 
and barricaded that neither reason nor evidence can 
gain admission. Let the intellect be open to proof ; 
let it invite conviction; and it will not long be left to 
the darkness of doubt. Sir Robert Ball has shown that 
the light which emanates from some stars is never suffi- 
cient to affect the optic nerve. The only way by which 
its action can be realized is by preparing a photographic 
plate and leaving it exposed for hours to its minute 
rays. The astronomer adds, “The waves beating in 
from the Atlantic in long course of time have gradually 
altered the face of the shore. But in one second of 
time there are as many minute waves of light beating 
on the plate as the Atlantic sends in during a hundred 
million of years.” One obstacle in the way of the eye 
is the fact that it is color-blind to many of the rays 
that proceed from the stars. The photoplate, how- 
ever, is not thus afflicted, and its sensitiveness is 
such that it readily retains all these invisible beams. 
Would the reader do justice to the claims of Chris- 
tianity? then let him remember that it is light stream- 
ing on his way from a distant and eternal world; and 
that the ordinary hasty glance of the mental vision, 
too often color-blind, will not suffice for its reception. 

If this spiritual splendor is to leave its permanent 


460 THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY 


imprint on the soul, then must the soul be willing 
to prepare for its reception. Christianity is its own 
witness. It alone is the light. The evidences ad- 
vanced on its behalf are only the thought-chemicals 
necessary to prepare the mind to welcome and retain 
the light. And as such they ought to be employed 
with lavish hand. 

I am quite sure that all arguments taken coldly and 
critically must leave much to be desired. Religion is 
so vast a subject, and reason is so fertile in objections 
to things most reasonable, that unless the intellect is 
teachable, very little progress will be made toward con- 
viction. “Be not faithless but believing” is an admo- 
nition needed to be addressed to multitudes in our own 
day, as to Thomas in times gone by. Do not be ex- 
acting and stubborn. If there is a willingness to 
be convinced, then volumes such as this will dispel 
clouds and shadows, will diminish difficulties and 
the soul will readily see the path that leads to the 
sunlit plains of truth, and for itself and in its own way 
will triumph over all obstacles imposed by sin and sense. 


For nothing worthy proving can be proven, 

Nor yet disproven ; wherefore be thou wise, 
Cleave ever to the sunnier side of doubt, 

And cling to Faith beyond the forms of Faith! 
She reels not in the storm of warring words, 

She brightens at the clash of ‘‘ Yes’’ and ‘‘No,”’ 
She sees the Best that glimmers thro’ the Worst, 
She feels the Sun is hid but for a night, 

She spies the Summer thro’ the Winter bud, 

She tastes the fruit before the blossom falls, 

She hears the lark within the songless egg, 

She finds the fountain where they wail’d ‘‘ mirage’’! 


WORKS QUOTED. 


PAGE PAGE 
A History of Rationalism (Lecky)..... 181 | Confucius (Legge)...........00 eerteaces er 43} 
Ady. Marcion (Tertullian)......... aansan 136 | Contemporary Review: article by 
Advers. Heeres. (Ireneus).......... nonce Le, PASH a coseswackeuec sentence 135, 136 
Alciphron (Berkeley)...........ccccsscssees 11 ALLICIO HY PLAUEO Dieses avecesoseits ence deeye 182 
Analogy (Butler)......ccesscsscavaseessiees 11,31 | Conversations with Eckermann 
Ancient and Modern Greece (Felton) (Gotha ye at cpestencetn reer eecsestars 47 
404, 405 | Crisis of Protestantism (Scherer)....23, 24 
Ancient History (Niebuhr)............... 44 | Criticism Confirmatory of the Gos- 
Ancient Monarchies (Rawlinson)...... 231 POLS THAVELY ccsetsccsctcccn emneess coco 43 
AAMAS LACILUS) csseiccciscestescnercanssaiete 49 | Crystalline and Molecular Forces 
Antiquities (Josephus)........s..ccce00 52 (Tyndall) rcsescers Siestsecerceeere ssseosessse OOS 
Apologetics (Bruce)........ 1438, 226, 229, 230 
Data of Ethics (Spencer)...........0s0000 277 
Bampton Lectures (Sanday)......... 143, 183 | Democracy in America (De Tocque- 
Beauties (Ruskin).............060sevseoseses - 348 Wille )ics pesctreeee otts tent eaceedn eben as 333, 345 
Biblical Researches (Robinson)......... 56 | Der Proph. Jes. (RODE) ci sssnenscieoesey 231 
Die Halben (Strauss)........ccsecssesesesvee 124 
Catacombs (Maitland).......s0.-se0+-- 58 | Die Propheten (THOlUCK).., cscesecegstzcee ool 
Central Evidences sae edecsess 180,181] Die Propheten des alten Bundes 
Ceylon “ Observer ”’........... ereecsseeenses 442 CEOWAIG) siocsssavesseavaseees psn tr cons ieat tee 226 
Cod. Theod. (Tillemont)............ceceeses 314 | Distinctive Message of the Old Re- 
Charity in Ancient Church (Uhlhorn) 326 ligions (Matheson)..........sse+000 417, 418 
Chips from a German Workshop Divine Library of the Old Testament 
PASO Fc caccastidchaperstinnsesiecieed oncasen, (22S VR IPE paLriok )o,ciccessascodsbarcorere . 231 
Christabel (Coleridge)............cesssessee 260 | Dogmatics (Martensen)....... ....... aces ZOO 
Christian Common wealth (Hogg)..868, 369 
Christian Thought (Winchell).....377, 443 | Eccles. History (Quadratus), ...... 54 
PMC PISLIST (WOTHLY 2555, donacspadtcorpasestse 449 | Einleitung und die Synoptischen 
Christianity and Hinduism (Wil- Evangelien (Holtzmann).......... 120, 142 
MEXIA ote ut tien tad ttess <inaenosieosacvas oved 423 | Eleusinian Mysteries (Taylor)...... soves’ 204 
Church History (Neander)............... 322 | Ely Lectures (Barnes)..........ses0000 147, 235 
Church in the Roman oes (Ram- Emile :(ROUsseat). nc... <secnsssseessaccenss 11, 48 
Say)... eeaclereeis esd ..51, 65, 8323 | Enchiridion (Epictetus) ............000.. 285 
Conimentary (Gasenine) Monortodycrtncy 233 | Encyclopedia Britannica : article on 
Collected Essays (Huxley)........... 380, 381 PAU EG cas snsssscnnse iocesoces eas eeteee, 193, 194 
Confessions (Augustine).............000 +. 322 article on Regine eosaessn ¢edses Sook 423 
Conflict of Christianity with Hea- quoted from.. 5c woe 454 
thenism (Uhlhorn)................04322-324 | Essays Powell es peugeceacen Seas 41 


461 


462 


: PAGE 
Essays on Religion of Hindus (Wil- 
BOM) dissec cacecaseses seccerccoseesadtscoen caess 
Essays, Philosophical and Beir 
cal (Martineau)... ..... +02, Bd 
European Morals tips 264, 265 
Evolution in its Relation to ett ons 


Thought (Le Conte)........ fedetssiveds see 96 
First Principles (Spencer)................. 389 
POLUDNE ccccsccrsysesectctecese neeccael Betscsess 442 


Fundamental Truths (Luthardt) 262, 263 
Gesch. des Volkes Israel (Ewald)...... 231 
Clorgias (PIRto)...<.scycoscasshanttesctieceassas 284 
STOSPOL DY JOU... ccrcsciedecrvivascspsas avant 119 
Gospel Dy oO kG 5... erecrcsedsbecateces 118, 119 
Gospels. (A ord )ic.smestetiesceedereceugecree 143 
Growth of the Spirit of Christianity 
(Matheson) s..c.ctsccssceecssstoreeeccee: 338, 339 
Giiardian { ENSOLy.. nc: .c.ssrecevoeseees 251, 252 
Hindu Sects (Wilson)..............0..0008 423 
Historical Evidences (Rawlinson)..... 43 
137, 143, 156, 157 
Historical Sketches (Newmian)......... 327 
HIBLOLY, ( LACILUS) ocitceccrctaceresar cen ee ate 49 
History Church in First Three Cen- 
turies (Fressens6).c1.c.cc.cese cesses o0002 822 


Historie du Peuple d’Israel (Renan)... 226 
397, 398, 399, 419 


Hist. Eccl. (Eusebius)........ . 116 
Hist. Girondists (Lamartine)....... 333, 329 
History of Doctrine (Shedd)............ 322 


History of European Morals (Lecky) 18 
264, 265, 319, 322 


History of France (Michelet)........... 395 
Hom. XIX. (Chrysostom))...........c006+. 341 
Homage to the Book (Diderot)......... 391 
Incidents of Travel (Stephens)......... 236 
Indian Thought (Williams)............. 29 
Inferno (Dantes: cece eee 98 
Inspiration and Authority of the 
Bible (Clifford)............ 149, 150, 365, 366 
Introduction (Salmon)..........0..0.ceeeee 143 
Introduction (Westcott)..........cc0.00008 143 
Introduction to Early Roman His- 
Vory (Lewis)ix .ivrcccsetesestasvenstcnseee 132 


Introduction to New Testament 
CWeoelss ) ccscctanacesiseskcte ae eee 143 


WORKS QUOTED 


PAGE 

Introduction to the New Testament 
(DOGS) svasnens sessosicen thatccunstdascatre 121, 143 

Introduction to Philosophy of Re- 
Liston ( Calrad) wc cstecsee gas anes poneacecses 33 
PACODUSHVW.OLKS s.crorececoterereneee 20000389, 390 
Jewish Church (Stanley)............sss00 231 
Jewish Messenger: quotation from... 35 
Journal (Amie))............ Becavsnasseccevecet 170 
Julius Ceesar (Froude)............cccsscees 86 
L’ Antichrist (Reuan)......... Desvensss eee tes 122 
La Bibie (Reuss)............. asracce scores, 226 
Lay Sermons (Huxley)..........scccscsses . 382 
Lectures on Old Testament (Smith)... 226 
Letters from Egypt (Lepsius).......... . 56 
Letters on Egypt (Lindsay).............. 56 
Lib. de Sanct. Babyl. (Chrysostom)..68, 69 
Tale. (Arnold). cacasscessescsctecpsscnctade ewe 46 


Life and Letters (Darwin). . on 
Life and Times of Jesus ine Measake 


( Edersheim)\ cccetsers saseecctr,ceceme 155, 156 
Life of Jesus (Keim)...............008 140, 141 
Life of Jesus (Renan).....11, 48, 92, 93, 129 

140, 142 
Life of Kant (Vorowski)...............00 79 
Life of Napoleon (Abbott)............000 400 
Literature and Dogma (Arnold)........ 11 

229, 230 
Literature of the Old Testament 

LU TIVON) cunopehssinuceospcastsccuecastem anes 231 
Logie (Ss Si Mill yori s.scssera cevccseseees 181, 195 
Looking Backward (Bellamy)........... 42 
Lux Mundi (Talbot).............. 226, 253, 254 
Manual of Evidences (Fisher)......134, 143 
Meditations (Aurelius)...............c0000 285 
Meditations: First Series (Guizot)... 209 

210, 386 

Men and Books (Phelps),..............e008 103 

Memoirs (Bertrand),.....c.;0sccss-eoce caceee 263 

Messianic Prophecy (Briggs).............. 231 

254, 255 

Minor Prophets (Farrar).............000+ 231 

Miracles {(Trench),..:sa-.scsscsssaseeeqeccunes 187 
Modern Criticism and the Fourth 

Gospel (Watkins)...... c.0.cs8a.ueesee 143 


Mohammed, Buddha, Christ (Dods)... 447 


Nature and the Supernatural (Bush- 
TIGL) Saveaacaeretutnss sadcevadsesusvohatennke . 182 


WORKS QUOTED 


PAGE 
Natural Selection (Wallace)............ 200 
New, Liforof: Festag.5. sci. seccscvacceases 169 
Nineteenth Century : Huxley’s State- 
TAGIG.e crabassetmsvenecatccecrscctisscccee . 227 
Notes on Jesus Christ (Luthardt)...... 81 
Old Test. Theology (Duff).........4. ses 226 
Origin of Species (Darwin)............... 378 
Outlines of the History of Religion 
WAACIE ep cncet ides sie ieteseresccoss oe ae 2 OE 
EeNGGOs CLASCHl) seeders a citeasscce 389 
Pharsalia (Lucan), ............00 saceocecses 227 


Philosophie der Offenbarung (Schel- 


a aR aa SP oR la a 389 
Philosophy of Religion and History 
(ROI DUTT Sereccss cl. esencas oe eist ore: 444, 445 
Primitive Church (Cave).........04. esses 322 
Prolegémena (Alford).........cceesesseeseee 148 
Prophecy (Fairbairn)...............ccce000 . 226 
ETOPNGOY A TCEILD) ccc scecsccecsoovessenoccsccs 231 
Reasonableness of Sater raged 
EE 9 Lose teal gre, ee le ne eee = ah! 
Religion and Biicsepne in Ger- 
MDB V a ELOING)..0eo ce cosccercsisaee viens: 387-389 
Religions of China (Legge)............... 452 
Replies to Essays and Reviews 
(Heartley) ;.....00.......00. Picton Area 185 
Revue des Deux Mondes (Guizot)..... 119 
Reynold’s Discourses (Johnson)....... 179 
Roman Empire (Gibbon)............. 119, 322 
Ruins (Volney)............- epeccsctvecene tess . 235 


PAGE 
Semeur Vaudois (Hegard)..........00... 387 
Ben. Clem...;..s006. eoteeveneucsnesecvcnsss Seeces 339 
SERN SSS CG 5 CE Fp Spa ng AMINE lp ee da 431 
Short Studies on Great Subjects 
(HYOUGG) iv scscsccts ects eaanenwanesed 46, 48, 322 
DUSK AN recs taccohdceveceediaccescce serene 430, 431 
Sinai and Palestine (Stanley)........... 43 
Stromata (Clemens)..............sese00 421, 422 
Studia Asiatica (Beer)...........0..ceeses0e 56 
The Friend (Coleridge)..............0000+8 207 
The Genuineness of the Gospels 
CNOTLON Vitsceresacsvcceieccencae Gadseeesse 134, 135 


The History of the English People 


(TOON) cccrevctcsciecssstuascesesteee ere 143 
The Kingdom of God (Bruce)........... 143 
The Old Faith and the New (Strauss) 75 
The Person of Christ (Schaff).......... 81 
The Prophets of Israel (Smith) ........ 231 
The Transmission of Ancient Books 

(Eaylor)seccceest econ esiepesseeokessureasorte 138 
Three’ Easays: (Mill)..c.1..csesctediacesem 48 
Tractatus (Spinoza) ....... ....... sosseesiens 11 
TXAVOIS (VOINGY icccccennteceeee scree geoue LOD 
What Noted Men Think of Christ 

CTOWUSONG Fre - xcs cncenen cept iee 81 
Witness of History to Christ (Far- 

VAT) resesucdacscesstageivanstecetenten tn . 322 
Wolfenbiittel Fragments (conan 11 
Works (Fichte).....c.....0000s ssoubasern teat 391 
Works (Schiller)............ dsscoeecsves concss 402 


Zend-A vesta. +9 0000 Cocco eceeee soeeeseeeeee4d0, 438 


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AUTHORS QUOTED. 


PAGE 

WA DOB uarsess tnocenareetsisesitcousecceteoieeds sens - 400 
Abelard....... SShuavevueGacensesceassareeetecssere 10 
CALLOTO Crsecaccccoces aerectes Ssoaunscacestecees 143, 148 
ATION ce c.ce pecskednctness snecsee sacsosessesseseosse 186 
MUSICS Eee aemw an Geaccheak Gancesacaeseivexesast steed - 170 
Aquinas, Thomas............. persasctcneeens 5 all 
ATNIODIUS.. cocscccsecee apeesescsecaneen gisseradoed 10 
Arnold, Sir Edwin.......... sesseveseeetes eed 434 
Arnold, Matthew........ 11, 17, 229, 230, 325 
Arnold, Thomas.....,.. pencvacaliscsscencecces 46 
PRO TI POE AS Ue cocrcb och tt ssercnoaecésvaev lc: 10 
Auerbach ....... casdsedesssscescaseccesasesreste 300 
AUZUSINE.......00000..00ce0e00 10, 817, 318, 822 
PANIEDIATIS  oracsree isceceness Scopeescscess scccccvse LOD 
Barnes, Albertt........ sted ssecasssel 4/4 215, 20D 
Baur, Ferdinand Christian............ 12, 74, 
125, 128 

BIOCE c ntecsegvavcioe eisaensscricees cocstirataesecrs 56 
Bellamy; Edward. ..cscsccoscsssccccosasoccees 42 
BOrtrand 2. secerssccceste seutecnesctereests mecaese 263 
Bonwick, James........ seccnessenerscedsecceses 437 
BEI OS SARL A Tac recscastnes soe eennatt 231, 254, 255 
BroWDing 0.00060006...c00ss0000-7, 118, 348, 408 
PSEUICE: tocesses eaerebsesesietesses 143, 226, 229, 230 
Buchanan, Robert.......... Hpacktoneenns 176, 177 
GRE Oa recone hascrttens rence he ericare: 218, 219 
Buddha......... Basene sas Dacecesee 13, 98, 105, 106 
Bulwer....... rene sesesesscapessnassasscessonss 98 
Burke, Edmund................ colceresvemere 401 
Burns, Robert...... arrestor aaeenecaenees 410, 411 
SSORUOLL casts ccccrscosess Cocccoccsessccccce. 182, 271 
BOY sate risedesectstensiacssees aucceeseserere 147 
Caird, John ............. eaeacerssaesdivadeaeses 33 
CONE TiGiecn a nsw eccss fussesesticcticeen: 180, 181 
Carlyle, Thomas.....39, 40, 99, 266, 378, 394 
BOBVO crrcsevacteeo Ariss tiesnice Staklioey coccecsee SLL 


PAGE 
Celsus ......... scasovedscveccreee tecreveeseceseel, 49 
Charlemont ....... eesecceastssaseseeees seseeses LOD 
Chateaubriand, a.tetie-tsce cae 279 
Child, Lydia Maria....... Escsaevsuc ceed ecssce 437 
Christheh sre vscsak ve ate ereecetenk 175, 176 
Chrysostom............se0 saceecenesese 68, 69, 341 
Chubb, Thomas............ eesdetace sovsesese) 149 
Clemens Alexandrinus..........00000. 421, 422 
Clement of Rome...........0.. cesses scestes ROG 
Clifford izcccicctcosen eer 365, 366, 384 
Cobbe, Francis Power......... atdaratestere 100 
Colerid 20...ci5.0ccscssctocecsees 16, 207, 260, 406 
COLDS sccsctsvecestasenctsssscibiecece eangescasts 28 
COMG.2.3schasercat seuevaaceacessesccstoe tes sects 13 
Confucius.........0 Scbadaaeseaveduaess 98, 105, 455 
COomuWSYuscsccaretenes untae agecseunseatcn cats 366, 367 
COWDET......ccceeee cuastusssesrseecaessecoerectee 406 
VTi Dictcccotecs sessoreasussect son eeseereccnce eco akl 
DANIEL rrcteeeccss-scceeeeenene monsestacceres 9 
DANIUG sceccesetere aseceessence roceus eacusscccsarste 98 
Darwilsescccraitccs aeoesrecseces Rseeecs seeeed1 8, 319 
De sTocqueville,.c.-ccelestesctsc oe 333, 345 
Diderot. sscsecsesteuee ecpeenesceessccscoesisisescs (OL 
Dods, Marcus....ccccsessssecseccces 121, 143, 447 
DGllin ger, cen cesenentavecovee seesethecccanvesese 14 
DY ivVeRicssscccsssccttrcascn eee ACE: 231, 232 
DUET op ractpanacneeseceaaneetnss cee sesssoncceaecers 226 
DUM AB cicncsscedeetescseess Sedlescusesetesree! 331, 332 
Edersheim ........ covescececcsesozcceseeoes 155, 156 
Ra Wards eB. bc. ccscsceses oes stacsesnseseas's 103 
PSCROTI crossastascesucasesacesemetere 11, 120, 125 
ENON rececscsess ee ssaecnsrensesonscanttaeerts 251, 252 
SULCLONU Bis ssnevsnceestancestimvsrerckespeeatects 285 
BiUSODIISRasccterseateses Wecl insta cesctss 10, 53, 116 
BOW AI sis aScsctb ctr sansaus Sianeecsee 226, 231, 252 


465 


466 AUTHORS QUOTED 


PAGE 

Fairbairmn..........ceee .-226, 350, 417, 444, 445 
Farrar, F’. W.......sccecescessess aebsasesseloL 1 OLe 
Felton, C. C........cccoces so rssssseceses 404, 405 
Ferguson, Donald....... Morseascanstenseeses 442 
Bich t@;.1.-deycsiesdh ees0d ..017, 62, 81, 390, 391 
Fisher, George Park...........+ ...-. 184, 143 
Pre Otteesccesceccscchsasccrececsi-saretcessieessas 365 
Froude....... 39, 46, 48, 74, 85, 216, 217, 322 
336, 396, 397 

Galenus ....-....eeee seenteceseesse PHidBriccaakabe: 375 
Gandhi, Virchand A........ Mpeeeneeaee 446, 447 
GAUSSON ...00eccccccovsrecssses sus spooce ssases 200, 200 
GRESONLUS seccacessscevecsasasseecyseccusduclesépess 233 
Gibbon ........0 scestesees 45, 119, 322, 328, 413 
Cipathie: ass verstatsncox shoes wee0e47, 98, 168, 402 
GLEEE......ccccccccescesec sees seeeeresecesersccees 80 
Gr CCH e case piocestpseece eres Peteesasaciesduon 143, 395 
GUAZObIS. ccocssesace sBtees 119, 209, 210 386, 395 
EIGOGK Clittesscaverccose tse sccsacasscasse Acer) OF 
Harrison, Frederic.........00scccsesseccre BIZ 
Heartley.........0« meptasiesautecsdcceecunceC pete 185 
Hegard ...... meee cusess eecdraantcccsceksereatecete 387 
WEL eg elitcescecceceaiisees eeaeeeseaanes eg aeoceseneaa 17, 79 
Hei ..6000....csscces eevee spaecssaesaenaenad onske BOE 
ETOMDOLUE veseccaseccnsceseeccoucosesssasseassasnne 11 
EEOVMANM Ss cccsectscusccssetecessaceresaasensnece 45 
Herodotus........ Mecacscasesstnsaceacaneccesenne 40 
HLLCK SOM cs acecesrereses Reeth ostndetecrauncaetsces 210 
TUACZI pe eesccsscstensestsscce ascancceneqnesetestots 231 
LOGE CIE cecccsscetassntecssccaaeracenses 368, 369 
HL OLEZMANN Nirccccatesssestakecespcsetes s.-120, 142 
LUPO eccccsneesrecescacctes 224, 226, 288, 289, 230 
Hume....... BE mtevesstsccsureivetesecsss 193, 194, 196 
Hutton, Richard Holt......... eregteaecese 181 
TAX Yass ee nscests 380, 381, 382 
EONAGMUS .ccscscececesessocersesvescoetercestzen «stat Os 
BVONGUS ess cscsadstsecsseccscessss 53,135, 149, 187 
wPARCODL 5 acco seceauscedoases exten sasrinisnnsga 389, 390 
el OUieeccccsleccasestec es wocescctenceece Caceusitecete 119 
Johnson, Edward Gilpin..........,....008 179 
OBC DU Stecsccceseccens ds tosaccerseerstacnteces 52, 53 
Joshua ben Siras ben Eliezer............ 889 
UAT ts seestecksaese sdadeassestt susetiacse 10, 49, 375 
RIMSLLIPMATCYD scscoceccencssetecsstr OOo Lod 
CAN cesusaece cee Reoueavacdasreses sescecek Corl ona iG 


PAGE 

UKCALS laccccnascoessoestcccscsssuscccvccstessvectern 4 oi 
RoCin ecacerscversaccosscteesesre seceecceben 140, 141 
ISCIGH cscs oscctecececscesens secchenectoneess 231, 238 
(RAR PALLIC Ky ccccunacessavses-cceslestsessetareds 231 
Knobel............ Peseckis cere rs essease200, 231, 232 
IRSTIORAPE LOL cc pereccsstecscsrstatessssosetes coves 443 
DUA CEANIELUS! scgsssceesascsaceesecsne aisecesesceseae 10 
Lamartine...... Saeabecseccurssenecdees eseesd00, O49 
TLASSCIT Ors cccrsesccsccsavccscceccesencecsecteracd 165 
Lacky....:.00. 18, 181, 264, 265, 268, 269, 319 
321, 322, 332, 340 

Le COntGC,. 0.cadeceococeea aesncasarcecssetanas taser 96 
LPO vnasects +42 secckessecseees oo-000-428, 451, 452 
Lepsitiss: Richard sissies ic sconarenasosectuers 56 
LASSIN Yes. iccco votes ore Syaasds cee Deebeveneeenees 12 
Tewiseins GeO rvscssce scans ssseassesties 132, 143 
Li chtlootcs Jecsestuxctersesoraotacaneteren . 185 
LANASAY issceadsdsccceveccsoevers coe encanr: 56 
Litt80% soicsi cokes ooe.se3ee eavcnscesscasesrewanene . 128 
oekeysscssss.azs-5 Jossecadsses waseceeesonacearce . 391 
Lowell siscssyess Sgsdsch soosebansdiceocssanastacnee 266 
PAU CANNGS.2. Sac cestcccoecsee: sikess wyeescecsetecg . 227 
LUCiansse.s0005 Seihcboe¥ieeest Cisseawsedlouces 49, 375 
TAU KOi5 teas ss steesecberfoscs sas secuseesesecse LLG, 119 
TAUCR AI GicrccesdcccuescessascenstescesearscCODto0G 
Macatlay...sdescesscorcstecss Re Se seeeedd2y BOD 
MacMillan, Hugh ......... cesses ape 95 
Maitland 2 icccdecccsscacsedvess Boctiy capsceseneas 58 
Martensen ........ necwcet apshasesceractasasnieene 256 
Martineau, James......cscocesccesscseses 32, 33 
Matheson ..cissicoqccnsaseccccqaasosmbbcy Shy 445 
IM CONT is ticssconscesenan Pesatesceescassebaceaceeuiaaaa 
DEG CI OES) « ckisesseencaneas ion nstaeeokse 200003 9D, 429 
Mill, John Stuart.........47, 48, 80, 181, 195 
Minucius, Felix...... epee tan Ate tesarnccieen 10 
Mohammed ler.csccscsscecsces oeeeess 98, 105, 106 
MOM PAGED <5 fs 0ccese coseeressecces soctencnsdstO0, O7 
MONO: occccerestasteus Seka essases cau assasstientan 160 
Miller, Max. ...sssecssasccetis sus costs evsesee20, 41 
Napoleon...39, 79, 82, 87, 263, 400, 441, 442 
IN CAN GMERF Cc conccsesees secessacers weescancaceastee 322 
NO WMAD 01.0056 eccecess savers cdsaeestecs(exeachene 327 
Ni@DWhr iicsesccsteasercesccecedeys or rrent 44, 395 
Norton, AndrewS..........0css006 peceuns 134, 1385 
Origen....... seedanare co teaaeee “pores --10, 186, 187 
Ovidiners Ragosegeacasscanasccscsrecetaceene cecons abOy 


i a 


AUTHORS QUOTED 


467 


ee PAGE 
Bain, THOM eis sacecersetess caer sites teres PIN OZRosecectsescascsossnvesceios: soveee-L1, 79, 175 
Paley i.i.cscsrasstidoress Gesessesdantescst es cveas ie RILGNIOY\cccausesstsotencacctcereavsceses 48, 162, 231 
A DLAB cavencseceVatkcreayek act ies cotoee eepii tac ens BS HSC DUGUS eetveth car cosctencdvaniecarncc tice 236 
Parker, Theodore............ capa 80, 89, 96 | St. Hilaire.........0. sau veesneeaselioss sect eevee 443 
PMU A ces cetuaterheressethekecs 11, 44, 175 | Strauss........ srveed, 74, 75, 78, 124, 128, 175 
Pfleiderer, Ott0.........0000. sbteccsceediseest 12 | Sumner, Charles...... cormrcercetnes It 
BGLDG iecnsmnpue rececasvetcescol Rectan atevecoures 103 
ENG aisascs Sere fen ee sahaeene eseesecccces 52 | TACitus....escescrsssseererscereceeseeeee39, 49, 52 
Pierrot. Mo PAUL esccstonssseansease abe beseiese 437 | Talbot........ sseeseressovcsssadeevoas 226, 253, 254 
PAatOsecesece ee caeaite sac iescesi eee eoecatay 284, 429 | Talleyrand ............... CGAL COREY BACH Ae 34 
RUM Yiceivecprostsosneteseuseet. 50, 52, 59, 339, 340 | Taylor, Isaac........ aastcceseeeses eiccere 138, 284 
POly DUGG seiere ccaness sour baeesecs secrete Ficapterse 89 LENNY SON. sccneessclenescet eee 112, 369, 407 
BONY CORD tatisesesasseuacscatsetessesai vane sapseses 53 | Tertullian...... Seswaseansaceaeesies r---10, 108, 136 
SOOT PAVE Wlthcs or entnuneeesstetidtee tn eieais oes 10,491) Chayer, J. cenr yess, pee ee 42 
EIGW ELE ccltasteccetasaveucss sbosesarasesassecssnce 41 | Tholuck.......... asueecstsacuschuisceresciteeaayere 231 
RAO OTIAIMtettereb seas revise deen’ fercseescesc ete O22 417 elo eccncasadscceeiees eeecesees 421, 423, 424, 454 
IEYILCHATO merstertcssscs secce sareseatntesecs 383, 384 | Tillemont ........ Seasewercecss sauedecsrees voces. O14 
ABE IG Mcccay Sseuesesectercacssnceatacnretbeserte 187 
Quadratus ..........0000 steeeessensersssenes 53, 54 | Tyndall scessssessees Pages aha w+u.12, 383 
IRGIISAY. ceccosisecce setessescss as tcehess sce 51, 65, 323 
Rawlinson...43, 137, 143, 147, 156, 157, 231 Uhlhorn eeccee coves eecees 322, 323, 324, 326, 335 
Renan........ 18, 48, 92, 93, bey 129, 141, 142 Ullmaneccesscesene Ooereeecccvearecercceccsesecees 256 
159, 163, 175, 186, 226, 396, 397, 398 
399, 419 Vatke, Wilhelinivecresesseeee Cee ccveccccccccee oe APs 
RO UIBES cose tée ser nce eodehausabe avetasaceiesseohes 226 | Vicar Of SAVOY....sscsssscseecsssseesee sere 11 
RLOUUOR Rss eee cas ccct Vikan Mihi a 304 | VOIMCY...rssrerversssessseesessssssereneseees 238, 235 
PAGSO cer ee ark Pr EL Be | BV OLLALLO cccdatcccers teeserees sovsseasrienescrecters 79 
Rousseau ...... eee oe a 11, 48, 79, 96 Von Miiller, GOL caeccriselesatiseeee eet 61 
FEIN Tics orca. tirey iene oe a nee 348 | Vorowski ........ steeeeneeeseeeseees sessseseees 79 
PAOD Vanecane noscugarsscstets resets sti eaiveneee 143 | Wallace........ sccessecscnce seremnon sa sdeveseserrs 200 
Ra MEO reeEs ss erce she anstses veseesvseee bot can ach 1AGURVY ASHINGtOMNssccceccescceeeeeettteerette noocces, 2D 
Schelling... ceevcceceecersscssccccrsscesee 17 | WaAatKiMs...cccsccsseccocsccescesesccees sesessuaans 143 
Scherer, enna. Saananesusectt iedseeinel 23, 386 | Webster, Daniel .......... acseussercess wenctre 401 
PE DTOM re tiscesssecaccrecssicsvicacacnesesessa 402 GW CiSS crescescceteaeterer erent ascensayeneceate 143 
PCHIGT IN RCNOT,« siascqenssgrcdaresecces TOs, LO.) WW OBLOOLE co vasctccassvonsconvaterecececers «120, 143 
SMOUIMLOL cea dtsuntpisescixsesckssncncts-covasatenacesoe U2 WW NGG cccectereessincteccesceieere: 295, 427, 428 
Seneca........ onSnentreccrsdee seehnhescceer GILHGOO MEV LISOM sstenecedcrcressene ce sese misecesnscansentote 423 
PUELCUITAIEA NCES cones eves s cacct ayecacenshees: 50, 52 | Williams, Monier...,.........29, 423, 445, 446 
Shakespeare... peaeetssss eacse 409 450, 451 
Shedd ..... possartmstsescteivectss eit enetsccesses 322 | Winchell .........0000 aitscarers peesaeaveces sense OLd 
PIE OTs etescscheTacinasidonsne davis canoes 378 | Woolston............+. Reateccseuessvcstecetectage 175 
Smart, Christopher..........ceccccccssseess 408 | Wordsworth ........scccccssessooses 170, 403, 407 
Smith, Robertson..............ssce0 ove. 220, 201 
SEAT eR MP OOM tersinct ccoupatbonces a= 21s ABS. 1 GOLLOR corsne cecank civect eck sacenensencerass 128 
Spencer, Herbert.............. seee 13, 277, 389 | ZOTOASLET vessoreseeeeserseeereeee13, 105, 430, 439 


GENERAL INDEX. 


PAGE 

Abd-el-Latref: story told by ............ 413 
Adrian: reference to ............0008 saeeses 54 
Agassiz: discernment of............ casaey 385 
POT ODREACTET OF 6.5. oceeschsncchcdccceeeess 198 
Agnosticism: arguments of.............. 296 
Agnostics: certain questions and..... 299 
Alexandrian school: reference to..... 157 
AlOn = quotation’ from.....ccccccc0ssceees 186 
Amberly: statement Of.........cscccseeee 421 
Analects: quotation from.............0.. . 455 
Angelo, Michael: incident of........... 7 
CRUG 0 Ply aad sae AIR NR el Fea 103 
Apocalypse: completion of..........0... 287 
Apologetics : history Of........ccccecccees 10 
drawing-room stage Of .......s.sscceees 12 

MM ONIEULE Dera versace ncvencccrsizesscsecctess 405, 406 
Apostles: characteristics of.............. 153 
SPRL LECT ON opr atesn iets vette naventevecccits 154 
BAL een ee ret iev orice cate ccececétccvcteve 157 
MPOSUGIOTICUD sar user esos veecahanvzcendvetesieacs 306 
Arctic explorers: picture of........ 371, 372 


Argument from Christ: statementof.. 75 
Argument from comparison: state- 


PIII ISS pce sancrs cece tenses i cerens txctoeese 419 
Argument from prophecy: examples 
of adduced ..........00 Dirscesteeresatsss 232 
concluded...........00 sesessdvsesecstesccccs 257 
Assumption of Hume...........cccccscesse 201 
DAA AV A OTT) Beh One Sie et 127 
Auerbach: quotation from.........-..... 300 
Authors paucity, Of. ..6..c....cs0sesccees 50 
infrequently mentioned................ 138 
PiSCOM et AL OL ees sss opeens ten TEAL 
Baptist Association: determination 
HUMES Fe ne een Aaa th ie A 352 
Barnes: suggestion Of............sseseceeee 213 


BEALEMONWOl etree 218 
Battle of Marathon .........660. arenes Alun 


PAGE 

Baur: fictions of.......... aeccrersirseeseeacesiel ool 

Oxtrachiromle--cssset cemeteries seegseeene 128 

and date of documents..... seishencrees 132 

Beaufort: referred to .....s.c000c00. Shans, oR: 
Bhagavat-Gita: parody on life of 


CHIIBU cvcecesanssstst tech eassten orton tate 422 
Bible: rule of Christianity...... penatstes 17 
quotations from......... eeeseecnsee cccscese 16 
efforts to exterminate.......cccccccsccsss. 164 
SIMMATIEV: Ol cen. mite .. 164 
translation Of...........csceces eescerseceeess SOO 
Huxley’s estimate of...... sscocesscesices 382 
textbook of Christianity .......... esetsa 382 
testimony of Mitchell and others to 385 
tribute of Heine t0.......00.....00000388, 389 
homage Of Locke t0.......ccccccosesceeees 391 
tribute of Diderot t0..........sssccssecee 391 
disclosure Of.........000 aneteoony CRERROCOLER. 407 
distinctive teaching of.................. 451 
Bible of Humanity: quoted from..... 429 
Bismarck: confession Of....... aeeasaecee 400 
Blandina: martyred........ccccseccscsseee 108 
Bonwick, James: reference to.......... 437 
Book of Daniel: genuineness ques- 
CRONE scsseereseteacteaee eeneacteceee poeseeee 249 
subject of investigated ............0006. 250 
authorship of proved...... Resaeerene veoee 200 
Books: of the East..........06 passecacessece 13 
declining power Of.......c. sso» -cossssse 360 
LOLOLT OC. Letts ss.tanctvensesveseressinnne: 415 
Brahminism: purport Of.........s0.ss0. 439 
Brain: desires of........ Syessssssesaed sere 257 
Browning Fquoted s20- siscnecdetiets ces 7, 113 
biography.Gfcn.. 4 ice 267, 268 
OXCIANIAMGI OF,, sccvcacoseseassccerce cee: 348 
Brunelleschi: referred to ............e006 103 


Buchanan, Robert: extract from..176, 177 
Buckle: his definition of history 218, 219 
Buddha: references to...... 13, 98, 105, 106 


469 


470 INDEX 


PAGE 

Buddha: first historical mention of.. 421 
IAIDISEV YP OL scccocenettestatert encsdeseeseces 422 
DivthlOlfhccccsvsscsscescacssee Gonstevesnaruaepat nao 
excerpts from .......... mae ccgscerasess 435, 436 
surpassed by CHrist.......ccocec.escccees 436 
CONCESSION LO tecssecsstecsscccecoepcress sassesntOO 
WNISSLON Olicccassaccaccescsscusacatcccersessscs 439 
BPClliOlireceatteccssecceacharteccessscocecccasre 448 
AALLUYG ROL ae eticessceplesssenseceassesseteses 452 
ascetic in tendencCy...crc..eue o000e- 402, 453 
not’ morally perfect.............0-ecee: ove 456 
Buddhism: influence of............ east cs 421 
Converts tO in JAPAN .......ccccrseeees ove 425 
contrasted with Christianity......... 482 
TOACHIN GS Of ..cscii csc ccssasesevsaceovss 442, 443 
ChALLCS ASAINSE:. ...cccsccsvece-eaceassacess 443 
Burke, Edmund: saying of.............. 401 
Burne-Jones: incident Of............+85 167 
BarnseeDeletiOl ss.ccscccnsescaseccoeesnss 410, 411 
Butler: extract frOms ccc .. sccssecessse nts 147 
definition of reason from............... 291 
Canons: reference tO ...........ccsereees one 260 
Carey, William: mission Of.............. 353 
WOPK Ol stsolecssocttccred secede oesascesesassns 355 
DUifh’ SiViBit tO secsccstcccctdoccetaeesesse 855, 856 
conversion by.......... ovetesteseCsessestens 361 
Charlemont: opinion of Hume........ 195 


Charles I.: incident of.........00.....0... 13 
Chateaubriand: interesting question 


Oldsesesnedaseesrcventrcccetcrecessessh ect cesees 279 
Chenavard, Paul: incident of........... 60 
Child, Lydia Maria: quoted from..... 487 
Childrenk Cares <<<. ccc.cccsssasa’ ssscencne 335 
Chinese: monotheists............-cssc0e 00 29 
Christ: moral majesty of ....... wseserevees 13 

CAUSO Olcsesesscrcce se aecscteccecocensees socubs 14 
self-revelation Of............sce-ceeee-eeeee 17 
MAN'S REAECMEY weeevecscess ccoees ooseseese 44 
RUN COUNT Olernesrecsesececccseoleaecs bacccrices 44 
PTANCCUL Ol-cescccsessr cree eters tare: ovasaast 49 
ATYUMECENt” TOM 25s o..ci 10: wocceecsseeces 72 
BOUPCE' Of TELM PIGM v.05. ...<j<cccecees'eseves 76 
references’ t0.......0....- asceseerstacs 79, 80, 83 
A TEH PIOUS HGUTEC. 2. ok. sseseveescoswcecese 84 
Standing MiLrAacie.....eccrsseeee escauves ave 93 
ON VITOTMENT, Of-60.... icseececorcsvescsisce 96 
BM TELMPIOUS TOVCE.cecasecect chase ders 100, 158 
not explained by the age............... 104 


PAGE 
Christ: sustaining power of... ......... 108 
DOWSTEPVESCN LEC terccesseosssuenoncees eoovee 110 


abiding presence Of, ....cccss.sesees cesses 
BLOT Ol vevanncaceudasausy vecseccksivacs covecees 
CISCrEdILeEd:...t.r ce Waceottvcecs oes bes cescee 
glorified in Gospels.............dccssccsss 
pseudo histories OF... ....0000- eve seesesene 
PENCALOD NAO! vevaccesviaclocvecsaccacaresseaers 


grander picture Of... ...s0.00..00e 55.107, 


KIN SOM, OF, sccséseestsasucas stegonseaseve ties 
WLU CHBIN © (Olgscscosecresescrastaevarecccntrs 
miraculous element Of .........00+6-.008 
deeds ascribed to........ eave 
Lollo wets Glitiiieve a cscs diced ousteaane 
OXAMPlO Ol ne sycccevesecdevaccovecunvestontars 
and O. T. SOc ieee an 2 
unveiling of.. selesaienoee 

LOTSAKCI iicaseses ter eecscncees 269, 


152 


270 
sufferings of Conaanin tel a PAKS 
TOVEAICC f2i..osrssssensadecstsdecdccceconcueceaal 
SAVIN S POWEL Ol. s.ccseccccscaces sen ehvaensaen Ou 
PMC HAIL ci s.tescocsseceeriennsonens ceaesntresemroes 
IMISSION Of ;...ce ssp sorcescesebetececsonsscncee lOO 
ASSULADCE Of....ececeess epaehd siaesiavcueanes 307 
statement of Henry eee percese ey 
rule of...... ae Weta aapaccinass Seaneosedoccucaeseactse 
pervading induenes of... 354 
blessing in .. ha Savinan sendapeeensn engi 
parody on life ems siviostaupncsiessaneethaees 

Christianity: existent..........0:.0000.«s0 9 
subject of interrogation......-cseceee 10 
on the defensiyve......... scexene ens canssoeet 10 
OPPOSItION tO... ...csseecees seers ove 12 


OVOLULIONL OF ccccccocs casnececessiepslaonean ten Lonmee 


’ 
Slice] GO fy5<c...0cc. cess cvecesassaaseseewoen 14 
MUltiplies CONVELS............0-cerer seree 14 
GUITORION Of...ccvosecscscsssseatecs ovsvshiereiva ena 
argument for...... sescossteacsasevresatera pana 
Gefinition Ofc. .tessspoissencctvastigss envnes 17, 18 
historical movement Of........... “aieeae 18 
SOULOL fiecasesctacesysesacessuss veaavensdetscaaeee 
foundation of......... Sedercesceness penesnect 20 
designation ‘Obses eosapan conitasesertaaael. 
instruments to be ernlorea tre 22 
TFEGUCUION! OL ccccscosccctussacsseresecensnseiemeaees 
BITE OF Gd 20... ccceqepgsonoanens sateen aucmae ane 
EVOlved naturally... .ccecccce:soncee 20 
infallible proofs Of .........ccccecesoeseee 84 
Establish Ment Of... ...cc.conesccsaessccden eOU 


INDEX 


PAGE | 
Christianity: abused ..........ccccececeeees 36 
MAKES All CLOAK ci. caccasnsosccosesotnivoyes OF 
adapted toll, cissssisscisssecsesicesevess 37 
Nistorical ToligiOn’..,..ssvsavacntananse ee « Al 
founded on truth........ eee 1 ease . 43 
dawning of.......... sees therpeupetouzs cones «- 45 
early assailants O£.65...sicicdscceedesesecs 49 
treated seriously...... Bree SPictet ase ons 50 
not calculated to please tyrants..... 50 
gaining foothold ....... noes Seaadassans ses 7) OL 
mentioned by Josephus................ . 53 
LESULNOM Ys COs s-ssissceceche see a ae 54, 58 
CODVINCLUS PLOOL Of! .vecscsecusectiasevos . 55 
MONUMENES tO.......e.eeeee nate each Vass 56 
superstition concerning......... poe. NY 
ANUS COLO lect cpscseckess cots eotarecs moker »-63, 65 
PIEOCL OF e wcadetah int casssessdvinsan¥ hs once Siscust 65 
SUCCESS Oli as scsseurcesc'oscsserse Acenaceccenngn L8t/ 
historical credibility of.............. soo, 69 
Geseription/ OLA. .o.s.-245 cussesascaees coe, KU 


referred to by Dr. Baur....cscoss000. 74 
IN DOLCOUINELIN Gyccosesay secdysereeven rane MOS 


its claims ..... sdaceoans sauseseNeeaessepicises , 85 
WHAT ALIS cc cccssce-teccesscstscses dpducctiewetse 101 
DOW OR Olpcsdecscussacsssssceere siuceseeeeabass 103 
manifested ......s.....0. meeaeneaaeseaevssel Osby cLO+ 
ANNMUMONCE OLsersccecessvcccoace Dassewaaceients . 104 
MAVATIC OTESINGOL, s.c0s.s0,<sasceseraccceeeses 105 
ALLYISELUSPIG. Of ..<ccsesoucsvsvcccvesesvied . 107 
BLLAGKB JONAS: sates .-sassbsesessdseosesyasee ss 109 
disgrace )of.......<.... picesdsnesnessasseea lle) el LO 
PUEROMOBON LOL, tersccsevens cpusrrsescsacnes tbl 
TOLCO OL. eaccrestecsisstel icctatanvesessesbets . 114 


Oral testimony t0...... crssasassresn\ermee,117 
testimony of primitive AES to 123 
TOCOTOS Ol tsccescsocsece a eehaocasseneas 127, 139 
DRAB ISIO Reece ecchuia dpa cinedusaieusnsenspaans LOO 
cause of spread of ........... sb aoseains sete Tee 
MIBLOLICHL VEO Le astrassesecepcersetscees bicesecayl OF 
EVANIGY, DL ce ccctecvannucssteeainsontcsnsstonns dO} 
TIVVRCOTIOS Ol cnc onanceaciutsines tekesn dep pesene 01 10 
EIA POUSINGIVG (C0; dianiaacscopsidscsasaersscers LTT 
a revelation from God....... caseeseins — AWal 
supernatural origin Of ...........0.00+ > Ah 
BICVOD IAN rvsetactesalresetishe orb casstassacceel 1D 
ONO STOSSO Lease tan cas dancssstanditstevestssnssok GUD 
XBR ALOU Ol cascks <p cenanadaneesesd anne 
PIDLD PAIS CCON 2 seasscagscsce saeen ene scdecenshs OUT 
& perpetual MILAacle.......00..0s0eeee 206 
20 


471 


PAGE 


Christianity : universal success of.... 207 


difficulty of belief im.................0000. 208 
incident Of truth Of,..dvoccscssssece ese es 2OS 


DISLOVICEL. -.escsets LavacusSeeacedaitap env aie tO 
porrernonds Te ideal 4 sep ecabeetenwanec ee 
ESSENCE Olecases <1 eaciea sere eaieseerstt ZOO 
testimony of iteeae Pisin a. | 256 
ASO: O1 AFOBUE ce canton sssctas aaa Tae 257 
parable of adaptation...............261, 262 
POLE. GTACC OL.22 cates sterseheon tacssntecan 280 


IDOWCTOL Rn cscccretsdeecttee sees Reet RSL 
PLOOLLUT ic asecsncacotceat Strack eee 
intensifies man’s eenintenl nilere: 285 
triumph ol..cccstees-eseees seaseatneses swecace 285 
pagan rites appropriated by........... 286 
formative period. Of.........00.sss0es soe 287 
respects demands of thought......... 292 
reveals high honor.......... Seles sant ecsee 294 
future revealed in ..... nauecsecedeagtratad 298 
leads toward 5. diiiyces siosectsient tosses B00 
recognizes all needs........... Sertconesees 301 
BoaptatlOnsOlissscec esessare dagesebpadeves . 302 
Center Of OUT AE........cseecssvveececcsese BOUL 
a procuring cause....... o6 secccsbevecessas OUD 
achievements wrought by............. 307 
Bacellencies Of 21. ..scssetsteeete ee eB OS 
in architecture.............. Sbastageeatsa sete OUG 
Ceservinig y,.c<.discnescuomeiaeaks eosvaschehs 310 
vanquished pagan creeds......,......+5 311 
antagonized paganism ........ .....000. 312 
victory of determined.............sce000 314 
acquired ascendency.........occceeereeee 316 
advantages gained by.........+ au seveseOLO 
mistress of situation.................0... 318 
CAUSES: fOr SPTESd Ol resssscsugcet ascot 320 
attraction appearing in ..... ........... 321 
Secret Of itS SUCCESS ........000-ccsescosees B22 
Civilized barbarians....:..0.s<.s0rsssesse, BLE 


snfluence of felt-.. 4 isdicssrseettasi vests 326 
Gibbon’s statement concerning...... 328 
Europe’s benefactor........0. seccscsenes 328 
power in literature........... Aa wene OL 
educational power Of............s0ss00ee. 330 
vindicated human rights...... sary BSS 
COINCIC.EN Gi Wit lnseccassuntense eescseescecse GOO 
SPILT Ol susncbescneeissateanswts atte ieee veces 1008 
DOSUION O07 os seenen enaaceaenaacusasies 339, 340 


CEACIIN GR OlsctoserosssectscesdassstarseneessenOlO 
TEN Of.....ccccccccssereseeerccecescceese D4, S42 


472 


PAGE 
Christianity: vital relation of.......... 344 
Webster’s eulogium OD.........c eee 345 
INSPITation OF............-e-srseeccesssernnes 345 
progression of in U. S......seceeseeeees 846 
invading heathen lands............ 2.006 347 
history closed With ............cccereeeees 348 
clear statement Of...........ceceeeeeeeeees 350 
CONULAS UO liecescsrtnccncecsceoceureecscaed 351, 367 
ENCTOACHMENLS Of..........ceeeser eoveseees 352 
background Of.......cccoccseceseecescoeees 307 
PTOZTESS Of........00ssseeeeees Renebacessen cans 359 
TEASOD fOL....2.....ccccsececrovcese sosccccees 361 
testimony of Conway to............ 366, 367 
ALRZTESSIVENESS Of.......:-.0ccerocceceeseeses 367 
DEOIMOLION Of sanaacecenssecseceeessu wancrges 370 
COSBASION OL occas cacae cae cpicasyantenstvtiyes: 371 
illustration of...... eeebtecctsasceretanssaiss 372 
PIOVING GIVING 2..200..5..... cccseeees covnee 373 
PIOA GO Of 0.02. ..<cesees cocsense ses cccom secece 376 
principles underlying.............eeceee 376 
assailed by scientists....... esencolateerest 380 
the textbook of............66 seeseasascece: 382 
1S fPOM GOW haces scosttesseseesesdos seeese, SOD 
Vali@iOficercestrsssab:stcrerssscesceesscssecens Oot: 
witness truth of............. seseseneesastess 385 
SIGNI CANCE Olscesessecesascessoectecesescre 389 
MANKINGIClNGS LOsecsseceseseseetscceees 392 
completely adapted to human na- 
TUITG Fessctsceces scenctecseesucess terrestres 393 
PONIUS Ol e-csrcencscescsentecesessel teers tress 396 
Renan’s CONCESSION tO....0...eeee sees xo ath 
Gladstone’s loyalty to..............ssee0 400 
speakers on behalf Of ................s0 400 
relation Of to the TAC ......... 000000 ceeee 401 


influence ascribed to................06+06 401 
historical aspects Of.........00gescceseeee 403 
enkindles inspiration. ..............s0006 405 
Shakespeare’s position toward....... 410 
COMPALISONLOLicccsstesteecrsencatertessrtn el 4 
TOCOPLLON Olt rescvescccecteevesceuel esses soot 2d 


ideas apprehended in.................... 417 | 


a supernatural system ...............6. 418 
TOlALLIONIOLictivescstsccecseeccceeceusce coaster 42U 
SHOOUMOLeceessisadterossscccesentacesect acess OL 
penetrating India.iie.......ssssesssseqs vce ton 
efiecting Changes ssr.sccorsecsrcvscetiee- 0420 
allied with other nme 426 
not exclusive............ Satter «PA 
contrasted with Buddhisen a woos 432 


INDEX 


PAGE 
Christianity: embodying heathen 

OOD Fithewsesteccenssedoonsvsescasavssasvavers 436 

se aerate esther thought... 440 
UNIQUENESS Of... .0..0.cccceegesceecccss cess 440 
standing alone! meatetiestieca. seateaterriorercerars 441 
NO substitute for........000cercceccecsscccee 444 
efforts to Ciscredit ..........50c0ssseeseeee 448 


SUPOTIOFIty Of ..viccsticsice ssccssdescesslese cant SO) 
distinguishing marks of............... 450 
PLOposal OF 25. osscsse cos daseoveesecave rs axe UCL OAM 


justice done by..........+. eiickoneccesalsasigns 454 
salvation of.......... MELO Secentocetire 456 
redemption Of.............0.seee0 eaeseeton 457 
defying classification ............ Abie 458 
Christians: defense of.............. eeneetes 14 
GOB) Ofecsccece secstersepueses-thcanecsdaeteetens 29 
DUININg ROME iicpacs-cceess: eee secones sacoe 49 
Teferredsto: DYysEliN Vacoserceccscecsestave 50 
WYICIN GS Olsscsssttceceose sauodeseoceestsuste . 53 
ETOATMENT Ol-ccccctecscosescccsaessecssesters 59 
CIATIIS Ofttcseenecccocccscesurceescstetectcstre’ 73 
presumed Dias Of..........c0.scccesssssoess 140 
emancipated slaves............. Seaseeaerea 341 
DellofOl SOMO ee wcecessescetcceacerscarees 415 
Christian system: foundation of....... 208 
Christian thought: anecdote from.... 271 
INflWeNCe Of 10.2... ccccceceer7dstacececceeshets 425 
POLCTVEC COsicscstessecccnceesoesdecedeccestos 443 
Christian writings: proof in............ 423 
Christlieb, Theodor: extract from.... 
175, 176 
Chrysostom: exhortation of........... 341 
Church: organ of Christianity......... 17 
secularization Of.::....:<ssccesossoshssues 22 
WODK, (Olucatscassteupancseatiearedavancanyedares 22 
PIIMIlL Vest vcccecsetssscoescesvenctsnececeetets 58 
compiling the Canon... .c..cccsccceueseee 157 
Parable Ofiecicccscssectsecostoeseeoccestastet 242 
moral enthusiasm of primitive...... 285 
intolerance Of CAaLlY........c..escesccserese 313 
attitide' Of:.-sscG 0 tccceecececdseccetctates 324 
power of influence Of...............0500. 330 
FOLU QO OF Se ivivepprnicesnttancbcepnavesets eaters 340 
CONGOMNALION! DVecessensecsuee ceese eters 447 
Clement of Alexandria: concern- 
RLM THAPTIAGC. So sceccasacek castsentacgi 3438, 344 
Clifford : pathetic concession of......... 384 
Collins: quotation from .............. 28, 29 


Columbanus: incident of ................ 139 


INDEX 473 
PAGE PAGE 
Concessions: of ancient writers........ 375 | Diocletian: infamy Of.............s0s0+0 108 
OF BCLONLISIS Lise coadecscsveceiiveesseees aves O14 PCTSCCULION:. OF 6... si.4s aascis coves esosecens 319 
of great Significance............000sseee0 . 380 | Divine cause: interposition of......... 199 
OL HU XLO ya icta cies acececets svansterss hoes ence 382| Doctrine: fortress Of.........cecccssesssesee 179 
of Tyndall........ sesssssesereeeesesee OOD | Donnelly, Ignatius: opinion of........ 126 
Of Clifford ........ osssceveobosecssevscesssene OO | DOUDtS: ay besabandoneds sess. cits 215 
Os PHTOSOPNELSs.cc.c.cccce+r «divcevsecese'se 385 PLOPHECY. Of... ..seceee sss esesse tag ss-BOL, POS 
OLFELCING.cortecssusteeceosesscisseusiees ancttsst 887 | Dumas: incident from, of Cagli- 
OL, DISCOTIANG.< cepacucseoesstan-Ceoqeacchcscet OVO OSLT O'R catevaresshcctacseasensss Rocassenstsrese 217 
entitled to weight.......scccee co sseceees 399 | Dyans: God of Bright Sky.............. 29 
Ol POGUES iccsscceocgoccssssescktcenivecshor sess 402 
of Buddha... seeseeeee 436 | Edict of Toleration: triumph of...... 347 
Confucius: 6 ROE a PAE TN oes 424 | Edison: power Ol js ascdtvccssesvest catdavescare (210, 
SAYINGS Of........cccsccossrssessesessessesers. 401 | Egyptians: teaching Of...... ssc ssecesee 437 
OS tO Allial: piety. scosccsdavsdnwn sedece “439, 440 | Eichorn: principles of...... 125 
GUOEAC ceccorndescrtesscdcauedessteceetess SALE 455 | Encyclopedia Britannica: article in 
Confucianism: sacred books of......... 430 | by Lindsay... ste eserseeseceesrs O24 
Contrast: between Buddhism and Euripides: saying 5 Of srescreseveee 169 
Christian lty.cvecsesscsedacserdvennrea 432, 451 | Evangelical documents: “date Of-nssewe 132 
Conway, Moncure D.; testimony of Evangelists: freedom of in Ween 150 
tO Christa nity.....c.soncomnsise seize 366, 367 | Evidence: of senses.. w. 174 
Copernicus : faith Of...........0 eAdsderas 170 | Evolution: contrast of furnished... 24 
Correspondences: between Christ assumption ri ta ai te 25 
and Siddartha..... ....... sa apit ee 434| solvent of difficulties... 25, 292 
Cosmos: incident Of.....-.......000 secnbse 56 imaginary instances Of...........0008 26 
Creator: ruled Out.........c01seseeeereeeseee 294 | Heeckel’s interpretation of............ 27 
Criticism: historical...... aeeeeestess "123, 124 
pseudodox in........ aocba seeds secetainevaged 126 | Fabiola: founded first public hos- 
Al-repule Of....:....cccssererses cee ser ere sores EOL) MP Pital he iecsacervcassnoneuvatbeantousestaswossene 344 
RGICICO Olsrecitsspeassecsceesesce PDC COCR 147 | Fairbairn: quotation by........ eecdast ee 350 
Hume and........ testes ceeeee ceeeenee cee OBS IOS |r Quoted sn sicsaeenstanbanenetkesssashedess 444, 445 
domain of biblical.........sswerereee 252 | Faith: OUtgrowD........sssees cect deb iabaes 170 
Cross: POWEY Of,.......ccerereseseeseesrsereeee BOL} potency of... Ann Fe PRY 
early triumphs Of..........scseeeeeeeee 348 | testimony to of eek y Saabeteast sevsceese SOL 
MCIENSO Ol, corsesccciacoccstdssesccseorsscceccs UL Gesire) tO.6X tenders cesnecsdedesteeeen ODS 
Gesigns AGAINSt..........sseeceeseerereeeee 416 | Faith of Christ: indispensable to the 
Cults of the East: usefulness of........ BIG 1% world :ccicteascasakersinnott eprdendantiactanta DOS 
WAYTAC Ay chtalth Ol.ccecsnetsesiaec eters aesneet 170 
De Medici: referred t0.........sccssesvee see 62 | Felicitas: martyred...... .......s00 eeasren LOS 
Dana: argument Of..........se.e0ssecereees 380.| Ferguson, Donald: quoted..........0000. 442 
Daniel: movement Of.,............000s00008 424 | Fichte: argument Of......ccsssccsses see eee 390 
Da Vinci, Leonardo: referred to...... 103 | acknowledgment Of..........00 edeeeestee 391 
WOCiI Real OTA VOL escciteccsercecsreascerses 108 | Force: discussion of........ errr octhorh 101 
Deism: of Herbert... Rtasedvesetseseces, (LL Niagara Falls and..............s00 ACHPELE 184 
Deistical school: at its telat Hrornop as 11} Foreknowledge: marvelous............ 214 
Depew, Chauncey M.: reply to Haw- Forum: quotation from.,........... ...... 447 
thorne........ sud sewsiers teas serteeees essen: 302,303 ) Freedom: revived at Marathon........ 305 
De Quincey: quotation from............ 217 | Frere, Sir Bartle: testimony of to in- 
' Diatessaron: work of Tatian............ 137 fluence of mMissionaries......... 60s 365 


474 


PAGE 
Gaussen: concerning JeW5S......... 238, 239 
Genius: defined by Hugo....... eaeteese 226 
Gettysburg: incident Of..........0....... 350 
Ghandi, Virchand A.: quoted......446, 447 
Ghiberti: referred t0............006---0e+e0 103 
Gibbon: Five Causes Of............0.+++- 320 
Giotto: referred t0.............:scceerereeers 103 
Gladstone: loyalty of to Christian- 
FL Bee SREP eur rote Ere Bea 400 
God: omnipresence Of...........0.00 0000 “9 
Pictured Dy Man..........ccccccee server vee 88 
CHATACLCTIOlisccessccaccacerecrecsesrecnser are 89 
Manifestation Of.............:20..cscees coe 113 
primal purpose Of..............0..0seesese 178 


SODATALION TFOM. 67. coc asesesncev occsonen cer abe 
humanity separated from............. 260 


JUSEMESS Of. 202.5. ccccc ccs ces ccscoe seccee sce ces 264 
back Of alb thin gsi ioc. ccccs.ccncosmseeses 219 
HigherMife i nitseccocsssve.teesecesces ses 284, 285 
responsive to claims Of.................. 285 
mature Of sg ioe eho vaes iat oe 286 
belief in existence Of..........seccersseee 295 
milan feels afters. s...cc020.-00sccesssc cores 299 
present in HistOry........cccccsescereee see 357 


save oota8595 360 
Fephs skp Ob2 


overruling Of..........00... 
ALON CY, Olerccereccaccssnecsesce case 


CONTVOV ENING sac.sccsscrscctseceeencevoetr tee 373 
recognized by Bunsen...... .........00+ 394 
DEST CULE CO MAN sscsssscsncessscseenccssecrs 397 
Bible disclosure Of.....0...ssseeee- eevee 407 
kingdom of promoted...... ...++ s-ee 416 
Goethe: Opinion Of.. ........cececceecceseeee 168 
Goliath: exclamation of................... 392 


Gospel of Matthew: discovered in 
Mote bee Aaeee sossosesscccedecesescentoe 


Gospels: testimony Of ............. eaeceees 47 
Goethe says Of......... Mascon sescsscecetenes 47 
PLOOLS Ol cessescaeseces Raven dosesceacasacrecese 48 
CONMTMATION Ofjrecasvereccasteressenrcevace 51 
portrait of Christin... .c.cccsccsssscconees 77 
propagation of........ pastesecccsst eseaaae 115 
COMPOSItlON! Oliccesessrascracessossrss 119, 120 
MOETIVALIONOlscseccseesceseccrestesensesaenass 120 
from COMMON StOCK..........ecccceseeeee 121 
integrity of proved........,.....cccccces 124 
ASSALICO cancascecerenecescessssecaceseteesceas 129 
ATTAIONCO iicesccse etnececeeces aaveacatensies 130 
CACOLOluertctvesccesscaccesrscrscessesnss eovesace Ld 


DIOOLLOR ictansenieesenssrenses paeeneteeneeen 133 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Gospels: authorship of.......... weseraces 133 
widespread recognition of............ 135 
APOSLOLIG OVIGIN Of eecesessecssceeseeseres 136 
testimony of Tertullian to............. 136 
PUSCIN Marty Ts. cpcssecccseccssurenaesacceys 137 
Rawlinson .........00. +. Brissaessesssatenter 137 
UUOLEMDYscccocersscceeseess edcctenssemsescies 138 
BItLES TOL 13.c. sects casvaceuvacsetverteee eae 139 
Keim’s criticism..... fac cseeceseenpiecesse 140 


opinion of Renan concerning...141, 142 


BULDENLICItY; Of:. -neccccccesttere eeteree trees 143 
authorship challenged............6.. ++ 144 
COMPALISON Of.ecsscccsesaceseterscecceeenete 145 
SIM PLCiby. Of cccicsssnpacecs <cacevostevaeoaeet 145 
COMMPOSILLOMCOlcecceaceveccesseesoosseees 146, 147 
WALTLOSSES) LOscccadssccasecceeccers aaseete 147, 148 
BvICeNCe Of AMOrd: tOsensccnserseeeeecers 148 
testimony of Irenzus to............60. 149 
Character Ol, WLILCIS..c.cstecacesmeeeees 158 
HULHONLICIEY: OF, 5.2. snscnscescepcecenesasten 158 
IMNUENCE OL is occcsecasetveartsaes aucepeenere 163 
translated into French..............06 165 
unique characteristics Of............00 166 
CONFEFTEd ON MED.....-c.csccccceesoesscees 169 
@vents TECOrded 1M... :..<cacessscsceeseeees 171 
essence Of........00 Wesenosccuesectecesesseese 390 
CLLOLEACOCOPYicecceccvectesterees eneacenest 421 
Goodness <_ types Oli. ccccsersssccesstcaseese 90 
Gray, Asa: declaration oOf............... 385 
Handel: referred t0 ..........cccssscccseoes 103 
Heathenism: reduction of.......... .... 352 
knowledge Of... cc cccccccocecsarcseesecceerse 415 
Hegard: retraction Of..........cssccssssees 387 
Heine: conversion Of.........s.ccseessceees 388 
tribute of, to: Bible. 2.2... .ccceess 388, 389 
Henry, Patrick: statement of ......... 347 
Hercules: constellation of............... 372 
Herod: called Messiah.............ssseeee 244 
Hickson: quotation from ..............0. 210 


Higher moods of life in God: how 
attained AicswsscnccossestessccesctneeaGancOoy 


Hindu lad: incident of.................s.. 159 
Hinduism: panegyrics On ........00.00 448 
Historical evidence: best of............ - 130 
Historical references: few referring 
GO: CHVISGscc ccecscdancek cocsacaeuccosateranee 50 
SUrprise CXPTessed..........-.seeee caseahee 50 
Historycl defined cece cesccercccenenceeeaces 39 


INDEX 


475 


PAGE PAGE 

History : changed by trifles.............. 40 | Invasion: of heathen lands; proof 
component parts Of ...........s.esecceees onal Oliesestanesess shee tees pictctensessasetsdsssetes 354 
TIALUYE, Of: cccetosuacsescesesstesetseseseses oe AL providential aspects Of.........-0sse0. 357 
PALAG OK LN Mevecscccncs<cacccocreoveseconcesss 154 glorious successes Of..........00.cesseees 363 
BCLORGG- Of aavaracacssnsestie meth e lee oto humanizing effects Of... .............08 364 
PYOPHObG Period Of 0. csccscsss oversees ses 225 | Irenzeus: martyred...........0. eb scentE 108 
STCAGEN ANOS OL c.ct cecccctecscosteserecss 356 TOLOLLOGNLO Lactasaevattsveecsieereecscasenicns 115 
Hitzig: confirmation of .............es00 231 Listening) t0.csseedncrcacescssecrescoecebesscee 117 
Holy Ghost: presence in the church. 281 | Isaiah: Hugo’s opinion concerning.. 224 
Homer: personality-of-. <...<s-+<c10sseee 126 GQUOLALIONN TOM sersesseesacesessereee: 233, 234 
Hugo, Victor: opinion of, of Isaiah.. 224| testimony of Ewald to.........ssec006 252 
story of, of ‘‘ Ninety-three” ...... 288-290 | interpretation Of..........00.cee-ccccccceee 252 
MUISOOITAIN ONL: OL /scchesstrescceseche iweracces 346 | Israel: and testimony of Moses ..236, 237 
Humanity : betrayal of...............000 14 denomination OF 2.05. ccccssscrsecsesese 245 

SHSM ONS OL, tsries essceasny4s Une eae eap 88 

optimistic dreams Of...........c0sss00 ee 240 | James the Just: referred t0...........08 52 
apart from God.............. vieeeee 260 | Jeremiah: quotations from.............. 233 
argument from formulated....... 262, 263 | Jerusalem: society Of........c.seeceeseeees 155 
argument from.............0000 Perrone ceeee 205 F® = DEOplS Of %zissseous-ceshessvccs evescarstaccceees 156 
OUCMUSLASULG OT sinc cs ciccetecctessonees terete 288 | Jesus: author of Christianity.......... 18 
COMMANGS VitLiDUteG:..,-<.cs-22<sen ees 290 ANNOUNCEA Dy JON Miccssessecscece sete se) 20 
IIuman life: comparatively value- GCATCCL Of F005 <drcsscsetotecot sectors soceesetees 21 
LOSEorers oacact ta sescces tact toesee cece cere 339 soul and source of Christianity...... 24 
Humanists: opposed doctrinal inter- deterioration of Judaism............. 30 
DYGUALLON te ccccence ces sresorccosasectcoces 11 supernatural in ministry of......... 49 
Hume, David: constitution of......... 195 death of, recorded by Tacitus........ 49 
CONGTENLIONIO aasesccscscesasssererecesvecet se 197 referred to by Josephus...........000. 52 
OESUMCN LEOlnescesesesestsetscsatscacessestes 199 Dyer Lalu © ioccssss-pevessssceecrsteneresens 53 
MIN CxO AtLACK Of 2. .tecccccsssaceceesesecss 200 CNCOMMUMNIS Ofssssercessotteersereser ster: 78, 81 
his three assumption3S.....,..........008 201 represents his religion............s0000 85 
Ifuxley: denying charge................. 380 GinclOsUure Of7.cccsscncrcetee-n come tetacaceees 88 
acknowledgment of........ etesseaastarers 381 CHATRCLOLEOLssesaseesteceesceee<e petoeceescet 91 
CONCESSION OF. 650.5 .csessscessosse 122081, 382 measuring goodness Of..........s0000... 91 
Renan’s opinion Of.........,.:s0e.cssees ma EPS 
Ideals: striving to be understood..... 286 | problem Of..........s.sscoececessscceeseeseses 93 
BAGISIEY SPODY REIL occ fie och, tot as fuss can 29'}-> poneslogy Ofs48i 20. scttcacesctnceeeeres 94 
AGTAtINS F MATEYTOM jjs,0seccesoseressseoons 108 estimate of MacMillan concerning. 95 
Incarnation: recognition of............. 408 the goal in evolution.............00 00 96 
Incredulity : contagion Of,.............2. 127 PETSON Sit 7 Oligec.-c-ereeerens vee eceets secs 97 
Individual: position of...............0000 334 TOAIGIL OL, civaccsettcnccest acest uatessteeqes 99 
Infidelity: brings no comfort........... 37 high rank of....... posccsessersacerseonerere 105 
Infinite Spirit: operations of........... 177 DOWN 0 ficccccesseseveaurecgs secacerescnceterss 105 
Influence: of lower classes.............+. 338 assailed. by Herod siiccisrecectssevehasseree L0G 
OTE GAG rs iain cccscagcsrenceeoss snndesaxe 351 TOJCCEEG soe vice sca non ses ccnesceten ete teee en LOT, 
BISIMMOMUCE, Of ,.5: acess eiccsteyoccessosocces 405 the proof of the gospel .............000 114 
Innocent IV.: incident of................ 205 character Ofc: scossscssscssvegecssesascser trl D4 
Inscriptions: place of.............0s sess. 56, 57 power of... sesoseeek dQ, 186 
Invasion: of heathen lands; heroic FOPli€s Of, -oe-cssecsescassescdteostevececsl 2) 17S 
character of........ Sondessedvecedtasstetes 349 mighty Works Offi. sesseucsvtoc srtsstaeseee id 14 


476 INDEX 
PAGE PAGE 
Jesus: hope resting OMN....cerseceereeseres 188 | Justin Martyr: works of..... i137 
attributes of... eee steer LOO : 
supremacy of ie mladecal Mar eae 202 Kant: letter of to Jacobi............. 389, a 
appropriates prophecies ... . 249 | Kapila: reference t0.........sseessereeees 452 
career of Ttoatsged eyes 251 | Keats: death Of-......++-.ssesse -teeeenes 411, 412 
basis of Christianity...........s0sces0 257 Keith: quotation TTOM seesetedestssyeces ex 238 
sanctified human nature....... 29() Kepler: TALL Ole cscase wseseeseseecscnceseetey 170 
PIESCICE Of cegrsccreres oe ooroereensfivee 94 HADBIOM : Prophecy, concerning aac 242 
changes effected Dy ...sesceressesee sees 308 | Knobel: testimony Of............-sseeeeee 230 
uplifted WOMAN......5 see 343 | Knowledge: libraries Of..............s0 215 
healing grace Of..ssssecseseecsesseese see B04 Knox, Proiss) Quoted. cers. ceccsscoteeces 443 
glory of veiled... 390 | Kobe: advertisement in paper of...... 
POrsOMAlity: Of:i.sscp.serveviscsncceonsedes 390 443, 444 
Renan’s picture Of..........cccserccoreee 399 Tad!tate » compated with Contieltise 431 
iene gs eek al hoa aden ae Lasserre, Henri: translation from..... 165 
J esus Christ: contrasted..........00...00. 85 TApce- Tames? quoted st... eee 451, 452 
exelug wander Teg h yh eS toe Pe WELDNItZ -Laltlh Olicccecaesteewoceccceeacsert 170 
Dacis Ok CD sIsti An by atire tain pub Letters: classical era of.............ss.00« 268 
works of........ neveccenter¢ecoucenstanaaces eo. 189 Libantus: story oes. 0 eae eae 
antidote 60) BOLLS WOUND daiysoroie 26% Light s*dasire ior’, 2cvcccssessustkecateaeas 263 
SUPTFeME iN MOLAIS.......04-+2 veeseeceeees 277 Literature: mythigal faltlucss. 2 42 
OX plains All ..ciss-coccecesseccsceserd sivetdye 290 Auugustian! 896 Ofcécnseeccssscssssvstion 269 
satisfies all nee@ds........0..524-50602 295, 296 Titanic Hirth of ie ee 328, 329 
potency of gospel Of vrevsrasieeioes op 859 influence of Bible on...............cesees 405 
Jesus of Nazargeles sestadieehailiaten? OXIStENCE Of icc. csnsesceences cuasxetescestece 420 
divine vocation Of. .vussrrsessseecess a9 Teittr6sse@xtracv £romice.cscorcsscccceecentees 128 
sent by the Fatherws.se.asecuside. 2 Livingstone: work Of.............cccesesese B00 
FORA TICN IE, DOM Mlieanez seen eta trrce out BPPCALOlvecsrsceccecescvacsegs ctasessccneneere 356 
EU GtGls ST COM NEIL ON Axicmnzae aa 78 plans: thwarted <csccscyscuceccseeconcces 362 
Jews: history Of...........06 eo leeseonasesen 237 Lord: answering adversaries:........: 15 
perpetual MirAacle....s.esereereserererens 238 MISSLOMVOL rec ct wcneeeeescasesee aay JAN) 
dispersion of. Sroctece casaaer Mepsestiseadeseed 238 vidarious sabtificaete eee 23, 974 
factS CONCEFNING..........ssscecceese sees 239 not imagitiary o.oo “¥ag 
acts Of --.seserere snaclcdrescosdacdeuseu decent mae considered an impostor..e..s.ss. sso 49 
interpretation Ofte cccce tte 252 banevolené chatacter orm Seen 
John: ministry DEQUN.....00004 Vecretsave 251 solitary pre-eminence of, ..se.ss0.0.... 106 
John the Baptist: reference to......... 52 Tennyson's tribute tOscseeseccecceooes 112 
ASSUMPHON CONCOTMING.-easesserrseesse 423} Vife narrative Of... scssscsccsecceccees 146 
Jones mie AW WHAM e, jadeeoreben- complains of slowness..............+++ 155 
gal eocccecce @ veecedece vevevcetcsscvesseteeseoawe 415 farewell discourse ato ne ae 172 
foshus ber alas ben Eliezer: state- Old Testament writers quoted by.. 248 
TEDL: Ofervarcsbaccame CC Roam 389 O@XANI ple: OF, ciscsoenscseasivasceccon econ 291 
aA mS AIEED AGLG IOS MOM ON A aieeti ne 89 1 soldidrs’ Of. iimresveuteostan ieee ete 354 
CVOLUEION Of... ..sresssrererrerseererereereree 80 precept of............ seancalnvesgnes Atqnenes 428 
SOO Of... see ssesseeee seseree es sneserer se eeeee 421 | Powell: quotation from.e.ese.eee.. . 25 
Judson z in BUrM A... + rss sees 853 BPOGGl Of.25<f0<ccscoces see coukea se aerrers 303, 304 
FOPLY Of se. sesssseesee serene sesssenrennncenees cee B55 Loyalty: of disciples..............006. secs, O20 
coadjutors of........... . 355 


agency Of GO £11... ...ccecscco see cas ese ses 


362 | Macaulay : prophecy of........... Riad cb 4 §: 


INDEX 477 
PAGE PAGE 
Man: swayed by argument, ......ccss 34 | Miracles: assault OM......scc00«+ eactaeeeeee 128 
OM Olt erceteccdneccrseceescesestsccenssseecs a impediment tO.........e00 Beatesveeseacetes 171 
power of....... Meer ices eerecceetsescasescses « 183 ATZUMENE LLOM..........cccereeees sovsecees 172 
God dwelling in .... ........cc.ccsscoscese 186 value attached to by Jesus............ 173 
IbirthiOlcesc sccccset ese: Srevengceceeecencaeacs 201 MIALULE LOL sveavatcsreseseocsaesansieccsascanatcee 179 
DOTNT ALAIN coc sscsscees cesses sscosscescee 207,208 | Hume's assertion concerning........ 180 
foresight of........ este deneteesccsecacse 217,218 | definition Of.........seereesevere Rberees ses 180 
MOVICCHL Ole csccestecransec coer cesccesceessc ss 257 Sem bance Of.........ssesccscsceerseses coe vee 185 
PETSISCENCY Of........ccceecccsecssoceeeseee 258 GISTIUGY/OLesssscasesersccees Ancencconctonrenrs 186 
needs of spiritual nature in.......... 264 Simon Magus and...... eacenasesesvens soo) 107 
a religious animal............ Raseiveceasiiet 278 OTigin Claimed DY......cccccscrrceseceeeee 189 
possessor of higher nature............ 279} proof Of........cccrccccees wt osnceeesecvereeeees 193 
his own significance.... .........++ 282,283 | impossible without God........ apetiog 195 
responsive to claims of God.......... 285 DYLOPOLCY (Ol ecica: coeces onvecesins Rreenpeoeaes 197 
inherent power Of ........-c00e+ sees sesee 290 argument against............ Spano 199 
COUSILULIOM OL sscritsesscteccatcctestscs ss . 299 Butler's Opi NiomOlecersescscecesecencess 199 
PECIS|ALLOT: GOCseverccscecvsstarsccnsessoccoe 209 could be proved... ........ peareusennss ese 203 
supreme Obligation Of.............ceeee 300 SUPVAVAL Olmesses|ccccassascssse Reestesscere « 204 
utterance of Seneca concerning.... 334 | Voice Of GOd iD .........s.eseeees serene one 204. 
teachings CONCELNING..... ........eeeee 336 apostolic form of....... Mbscesaccccervshers 206 
CFO ISIDCS UIP IL LT LOnssss ccnccessescartces cesses 397 idle talk against.......... setatiseececteacs 212 
Mankind: object of their existence.. 21 JEWS UUStPAlIN Ortrssacescetcastcecssacooe 238 
not emancipated from belief......... 210 | Miraculous element: eliminated...... 228 
woeful wickedness Of............++. 265, 266 | Miriam: quotation from............ 427, 428 
OLOINAT VAVAG WROlorssieetecuce-tsseeccercess 413 | Missionaries: determination of........ 353 
Martyrs: memorials Of..... .......seeceeee 58 AN MUCNCOLOL 0. .occe-seeseseressesseccs weteeee 365 
MISi Obssescnes Borseaeersstoueesess Peaepcansentree 108 achievements Of..........ssc00 sesssceecees 369 
Master: teachings Of.............sessse0 we ee LOOP Ma eccetestscsgesstaaisserescces=daes 415, 416 
embodied all excellencies.............. 74] Missions: antagonized..........sesccssees 358 
Matheson: claims Of..............s000 417, 418 SPLEAd Oltersrcccereaecscenscdaceseouarees 359, 360 
Maury: testimony Of.............s00seceee 385 MIStOLry+Of;.tc-cecvese=scccseseecvecsrseesece’s) OOS 
Memorials: of former events........... 55 | Mitchell: homage of to Bible............ 385 
Memorial Supper : institution of....... 21 | Modern poetry: government of...... 405 
IMEI OTY 2e01S0. Oliccerscctasercscscreacsascossee 216 | Modern unbelief: proposition of to 
Messiah: Vespasian a8........ cesses oe 52 DaDishisccsecctcecats snares aensecsccereseesss . 298 
proclaimed by prophets........ 00+ 240 | Mohammed: history Of ..........--see0 00 151 
theme of Old Testament...........000 948.17 legend. of uiclciccntssesestesashaacercuet . 413 
Philo’s conception Of,.......0.....0se000 244| relation of to Paul....... SEEDER 429 
prophecies concerning...........0. 247, 248 | Mohammedanism: reference to...449, 451 
testimony of Talbot to......... ..-253, 254 | Morse: inspiration of........... . seessencs 385 
opinion of Briggs as t0.........6.. 254, 255 | Moses: testimony of concerning Is- 
evidence of O. T. concerning......... 256 TACLeocassrss Wesectestetsistaccneetereerees 236, 237 
Miller, Hugh: recognition of........... 885 | Mozart: referred t0.........ssss-eseerseeees 103 
IMTIEO TA TOLCTT OU 110 srccessescsecceseoseces: 97, 98 | Miiller: referred t0..........sescsscccsseceee 123 
PALGHCOL eer spacecstadiccelecescresccrseainensecieae ATOM MUSICS SSOUTCG Of. cesers>sccntsesanvcccsetaters 329 
MID GEEDOW OL Olistscsscecstscccsssesedesseces 1S4 eM urillO se reterred COs censsersnccerscevee ye 103 
DET ClsOleasesnesscescs thas sce encebesorecacste 194 IN CIDENt Of se. cceccssssecassess Pepeesee 261, 262 
ISS HISTICC EWALD acscentespesesccsecccscense 292 | Museum, British: illustrative rooms 
Miracles: get rid Of..............sccssees paso ii tecseceeses msde et esses scbacansrtiaeses .457, 458 


478 INDEX 
PAGE PAGE 
Mystery: depth Of......scccccsmsssccesseeses 282 | Pouilly : referred £0....ccccccresssresseeecee 123 
Polemics: present aim Of............ses0 12 
Niebuhr: referred t0.cccsscocdsscessesesses 123 | Polycarp: martyred................ Boalt: 
Nero: shields himself. .....0..0..02.0-ss00 49 MOLETICC. LOL, sscicdecocvcassacseceVacsoupessecsul LO 
Pontifex Maximus............0 Oe Eas 74 RCATIN Sovdeccesesdisaterasuetealonyaed tit 
CIUCLLY Ofiveccaceess vcccee baicwnesecmeescawiect 108 | Polytheism: illustrates degeneration 29: 
PELSECUEION OF isccopseose sodecsntavpnatst ele |i Popes Clainy ‘Of...1.0tesclerseataeaae . 431 
New faith: supremacy of................. 814 | Porphyry: assault of on Daniel....... 249 
WOTENSE OF5.<5 sep rgecensetseancettenannacs 317, 318 | communication of to Chrysostom.. 313 
DOWEL NOL... cascctics itt atreveknate nenteanes 827 | Powers, Hiram: referred t0........s0.00 103 
Newman: quotation Of............c0seeces 217 | Prayer-gauge: reference tO.........ses«s 12 
New religion: birth Of............cs00 eee 9 | Prophecy: illustration of............0..0 214 
INVENLION: Oss... sessedeyeest 34 (MELMIGLOM OLS, cs. os sonsdavcetiesscdecceest es 220 
New ectamens definition, of cae testimony of O. T. writers to....221, 222 
EMANI EY. cosena cebu savesaede accents . 18} opinion of Bruce concerning......... 229 
authorship and authority of.......... 125 | Knobel’s testimony t0........ccceeeeee 230 
BULHENLIGICY ZOl « ...evecusecrsecenses 131 Kirk patrick’s roinene Peles, | 231 
first catalogue Of.........0sesececse 140 POLAT Crib Oliscsvccc cepts cde ne apaceraaees 235 
COMPATISON Ole... cadets eee aD LWO..C1ASSCS Ofiiic. seosecdcesanccehesse acoG 
power of... nate 360 disciples appeal t0........sc00e. saucskeeenhoee 
inenieitional, power ae asepee 1404 concerning Messiah............ese0 247, 248 
Newton, John: faith Hite Soest LO OPpiNiONS CONCETNING..... +06... e0000 253-255 
GONVETSION Of fic.5cc cecersssaeccdececervsces OOL | ErOphetSe Character: Of. seccctoncesieceneskes 222 
labors of... 361 TEACHING Of. cscs ssscacecdacevocseesczesecesss 223 
Nicodemus: coves pores tOe eee 19 limitations, of....0: sccercudebecseuandecuen 228 
North American Review: referredto 15 first proclaimed Messiah............... 240 
quoted by Lindsay..................324, 825 | Protoplasm: universe evolved from.. 293 
Thompson’s opinion of............------ 294 
Old Testament: predictions in of Providential guidance: examples 
CUTISE sooeppotesssdetencbeagcsensots et sneves 230 Of s200..sssesians ste oxcieeeonsensteranwaeeoon 361, 362 
quoted by disciples....................... 245 | Psalms: superior to Vedas.............0 434 
PY TAMICS, “ENC... -.ar seas carbo tee ecvenseere nL 
Paley ; extract: from..ccsscccossveesesssesss 151 | Pythagoras: mentioned .............s00 424 
Paganism: hold of weakened ......... 317 | Pythian oracle: pictured by Lucan.. 227 
Pantenus: discovery Of...........c000+. 422 


Pantheisni:; of, SpinOZaisec.nccscathanccieeo td 


the ideal of.:...:...« 29 
LYON, LOW ALCL. .c. ce hesseckestessdicsssuese 403 
Pascal: faith’ of-%. si ..is:.. 170 


Parliament of Religions: date of...... 4 
Pauline Correspondence: date of...... 
Paulus: endeavors of ..... 124, 125 
Persecutions: against the church..... 319 
Pharisees: accused JeSus.......0....06. 19 

characteristics of...... . 156 
Philo: conception of of Messiah....... 244 
Philosophers: iconoclasm of............ 
Pilate: interview of with Jesus...... 19 
Plater Oven cc ses canasactessnarnsamacasennns 


Raphael : referred. .tO....-ass sysonacensensee 100 
Rationalism : modern school of........ 11 
SPCCULALLVC. -:c<desccucasconeseccs cee ertanseee 12 
could not prevail..........0..0%. asseepets 203 
entitled tO Credit......6..s0ccccsecssesscee SLO 
Rationalists: virulence Of..........++ sss. 169 
Riay. ssfaith) Off ccvcscess'actecttucedsectecromee 170 
Reason: Butler’s definition of.......... 291 
GOES NOt CISCUSS,...<conccscussephorescccaste 293 
Record of Ancient Matters: referred 
CO ciccscccscvasscverspecoseectee cient suse 424, 425 
Religion: of humanity scsasasnaseipetuesee 13 
OHriIsSt’S;..< 2c ccove cndusseasueees covers saseeaee 13 


Cefinite CYPCiOT.:. casts. carcccccsecceancuccceumene 


INDEX 479 
PAGE PAGE 
Religion : result of laying aside......... 37 | Saviour: dynamical resources of..... 106 
MOANING Ofiseicdssivicperesdoetssacsevoosets 37 POWET OL ssasscics vas cesscccpesvervcenesctoeie 270 
TMPOTLb Ofse.. 665 s50scdeee cddeseeedesa acceso AL magnified by. PasCal.i.tcc.cssceseccess -. 390 
foreign to-idolatries,............ ssc 51 PLUM CLOUS, Wieaeveucnedcute cevevewouwesseeoven ald 
supernatural origin Of..............000 119 | Scherer, Edmund: inquiry of.......... 386 
worth of true ov... 8 cahteees¥aeed soe 178 | Schliermacher: Christologies of ...... 125 
OFIgin OF tOrM..4.4..:.ssee0e oscocssecesees 261] School of Hillel : belief of:5..s...c0icékis 244 
contrasted with conviction......291, 292 | Scriptures: inspiration of........s0...00 191 
BEUUILSOE tececneevt vcs reuse waste tes tec eesaun see 308 | position of regarding prophets...... 220 
DenGHCENCO Of, ni ciccsescsreossanees - 309| sometimes denounced.................. 265 
ANVATMOSH NETO... ccetsecedsesceescecsce 311, 404 Geman fOr sec dckatasssceess as kcal 363, 364 
of Roman empire.............- «o SLE | Sea: inhabitants.Of..,..0} fe0.cnideodece, sop 211 
capabilities of..........4.. Gasestsceveneerars 356 | Sermon on the Mount: comparison 
MOSEILUY GOL sccctest ese cscescosscosecst tee cee 875 WEEDS 5 i caces senshi van tieheeee hana tec dette 431 
WrOrIG begins With. nics caccavecacasarases 386 | Shakespeare: reference to.............. 97 
definition Of...........0 euecestecsemesncess 392 existence of... eeccesshoeneesssaece oO 
MSOC DOSES hscssssascesanccaveeetitassents 397 | Shih-King: aantad feons cones It 431 
URE O Tier cat anners sinoblaksstoanescses 412 | Shintoism: survival of................:000 425 
criticism of Gibbon respecting....... 413 | Ship of Zion: thoroughly equipped.. 16 
BOLO IO OL SEE Saas vssets scence aakoasasoescu rie 416 | Shu-King: quoted from............. 430, 431 
Fairbairn’s statement of.............. .. 417 | Simon Magus: miracles of............... 187 
LL OSUS sea centcec cance scracaccvagssexeencivess 421 | Skeptics: deride questions............... 299 
PERCU OT spas cersacepeck ss) -dnpcons'ces pesiy secs 423 | Society, under the Czesars,..........2000 343 
Christianity and und eva pese dosstasies 426 | Socrates: mentioned............. kangen 424 
something common to all.............. 427 | Sorabji, Cornelia: referred to.......... 438 
Eastern, extolled.......... sovsereeeee-sreee 448 | Spencer, Herbert: admission of........ 389 
Religious investigation: indiffer- Spiritism : phenomena Of.............+0006 198 
ence to.. see O77 | Spirit of philanthropy: advent of... 
Religious J saints Gavica fe wi ie 14 334, 335 
Renan: position of... Reeer eens . 899 | Spiritual nature: asserts itself... 279, 280 


Representative men: Saegnition. see 101 
Revolution: reference t0.........00cce006 62 


Reynolds, Sir Joshua: incident of... 168 
Richter, Jean Paul: criticism of...... 304 
Rig Veda: reference t0............c0c00000 29 
Roman : portrait of patrician Sic CEE 325 
CHIZEN vive mesvetiviscceredlovienseeredenccecse 326 
Roman Catholic harsh indiffer- 
ence tewsible:.cc7.4i8 2c 31 
Roman Empire: not converted......... 315 
Sadducees : beliefs Of..........0c0v ses sev 156 
Saints: contemplations of................ 283 
BUR EIES LE LO Waning iecSaaiecs series euacse'eseses 204 
Bs occ tac ayes Anche vas sai ees'one 284 
Salvation: meaning of, in ethnic 
faiths ., vee 452 


Bible Aosicine ot: Siaaeas ceases eet OS 
Christian Pea vention loft sitsst tiviavecs 400 


St. Hilaire: characterization by....... 443 
St. Patrick: cidnapie eee Pree. 2G 
NiLG Of oes sieeasadseverauesseeecesten ec tehotebee 45 
and multiplication of wonders....... 46 
St. Paul: conversion Of..........cs00seeee 159 
history: Of. :cststdcsvestbes savviedseesecessslOG—kO2 
epistles Of iissdeisisoticadstess ongseredaeh 163 
Stanley, Dean: visit to Ewald.......... 131 
comments of... Ber 162 
Stanley: story of Uledi... 272 
Stephen: stoning of... oepn: aH 
Stoics: foundation an .. 336 
doctrines sie 1.336- 338 
Story: declaration Pec speerncncs Gels, 
Strauss: OXtrachirONl,-cateccsseseencce sree LoS 
as to date of documents..........e0000+ 132 
a rationalist... aslonp Nesisseggnasasesieesien LOO, 
Supernatural: the 7 ew a witness....... 239 
back of all........ eesea, DUD 


480 INDEX 
PAGE PAGE 
Supernatural: factor in human af- Truce of God s date Of, 15 .svcsvese oneess cea 330 
falrsieceesse se eateaneosuerere neers cocpeiseiece DO) LEU bibs. THIGNE, Olen ce acescessies Sceesecoveretrs 14 
in Christian System..;....cssoscsseesvecse 418 TSO LOLs ssc csosscossezecessosst oncesccsctesvacosentres 83 
Supernaturalism: definition of........ 13 illustration CONCELDING... 22... sessevvee 258 
GISGIOSUTOC OL 229s hccgcc scccccvesescsecccedens 226 CMANCIPALLOMOf---ccessssvecasecaecee tet OAO 
Supreme Being: sanction of............ 414 | Typology: prevalence Of,.......0..0+.ssse-s 246 
Supreme Intelligence: Pritchard’s Py Tre sMIStOry, Ol. ccccencsiess 233 


ATFUMENE FOP. .a..0005 06 cecescersesecewdOO, OOF 
Te Deum : reference tO......0..:..0000260. 114 
Telemachus;: fortitude of..............+ 340 
Tenn ySON se QUOLEC..<..ccesssccsccmueecss sss LL 
Testimon Yesoral,......sc.c.sss.0o8t a. See 117 

Of primitive ChUrChi....0..csscccee cores 123 

EYACLGLONAL, (cone ccocsteseecesatonsee ravksteerss 133 

FOALUTOSOfss cos csi coc see encase coves esos ta cotee (LOS 

ALZUMENE FLOM... 002 00. v00 000 ve 0000-143, 163 

BAGISTACLOLY A ca cacccne ctecclecscerstanintoesttee LOU 

CONCETNING MESsiah.......scesseeresesees 20 

of man’s moral nature............ cece 265 

of man’s spiritual nature....... 277 

to divine origin of Christianity...... 280 

of man’s intellectual nature.......... 291 
The Fortunate Islands: fable of....... 284 


The Muratorian Dk ae finding 


OLscscesee aes acon EY 
whence: Sinenieneanl ore << 287 
demands of... 292, 297 
protests of... eevee 300 
may be derided Anpntenpoton ai) | 
Tiberius Gracchus: Britones We 64 
Tiele: eee OL ceconasssnctestescecieestoces 421 
eta of... 424 
quoted... 454 


Tinisrettas rd hee 
Tower of London: ean toveue 


Tradition: ascribes authorship of 
Gospels... Fis tances cdecccisereseen LOG 
Tregelles ; ao ih Reson besseseeeserrsteere LOO 


statement Of VOIMECY.......00 seccesese ese 


Unadulterated earthiness: effect of.. 
Unbelief: advancing pressure of...... 14 

BVOWE DY csccsescctiecstecestoncctessnevend 
Universe: beginning Of...........se0eeeee. 
Unitarian standard: what it is......... 


Vedas: extracts from... ..........0++«.482-434 

religion of... cbocsvoneee sctiese neces taeloo 
Vergniaud: icenpce of. evan dhaseneneeeees 264 
Vicarious service: instances of....271-278 
Vice: attractiveness Of.............000 369, 370 


Washington: reference to..........0... 116 
statement of... papas .. 401 
Webster, Datars iterante oft . 345 
EYIDUTC Of srrsscaccscacceccsteclessesceseseeces<cm4U.. 
Whevwell: faith Nats nee eaagneKaney 170 
Wills, overlooked... sc. sc.sacses coc sesuereero the 
Woman: blessed by ger esis 342 
position of... esoaeslassectensesreeses HOAs 
SE eaten began pee ee: 
Wordsworth: quotation foie sscceson 10 
World-faiths: position oOf.............+ 414 
Wren: referred t0...cseccsscosssctcosetecesd Uo 


Zacharias: dumbness Of.........s00...06. 45 
ZellerFOxtVach 1LOM ecssscccce sence tenettes 128 
Zeno: founder of Stoics............00.s000. B30 
ZOLOAStEL $s QUOLE... oosc..0sc0c0 csv eseeve sen 400 

TELTTE LOscsessscccavescieseccassccnsseccecastaeaou 


Zoroastrianism: claims Of.......00..000+. 438 


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